Babesia

Babesia has clinical and pharmacological overlap with malaria because it infects red blood cells. Reported Babesia cases increased by an average of 9% per year in a 2015–2022 Penn State cohort study. Babesia is a protozoan parasite that lives and replicates inside red blood cells. Babesia is transmitted primarily by tick bites, but it can also spread through blood transfusion and organ transplant. Babesia has been detected throughout the United States, with denser distribution in the Northeast and New England.