Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis, and Babesiosis, Atlantic Canada

Abstract

In July 2021, a PCR-confirmed case of locally acquired Babesia microti infection was reported in Atlantic Canada. Clinical features were consistent with babesiosis and resolved after treatment. In a region where Lyme disease and anaplasmosis are endemic, the occurrence of babesiosis emphasizes the need to enhance surveillance of tickborne infections.

Keywords: Atlantic Canada; Borrelia burgdorferi; Ixodes scapularis; Nova Scotia; babesia; babesiosis; bacteria; case; erythrocyte; tickborne diseases; ticks; vector-borne infections.

Figure

Babesia microti detected on Wright-stained peripheral blood smears from a 58-year-old man, southwest Nova Scotia, Canada, July 2021. Some typical features of B. microti infection include multiple ring forms present in erythrocytes (A), extracellular ring forms (B), and ring forms of various shapes and sizes (C), including the pathognomonic finding of merozoites arranged in a tetrad formation resembling a Maltese cross (arrow). Images in panels A and B obtained by using Wright’s stain (original magnification ×100), For panel C, the CellaVision DM96 system (https://www.cellavision.com) and the Cellavision Remote Review Software version 6.0.1 build 7 were used to capture and display cells with abnormalities.