Epidemiology of Hospitalized Patients with Babesiosis, United States, 2010-2016

Evan M. Bloch, Jonathan R. Day, Peter J. Krause, Anne Kjemtrup, Sheila F. O'Brien, Aaron A.R. Tobian, Ruchika Goel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Babesia spp. are tickborne parasites that cause the clinical infection babesiosis, which has an increasing incidence in the United States. We performed an analysis of hospitalizations in the United States during 2010-2016 in which babesiosis was listed as a diagnosis. We used the National Inpatient Sample database to characterize the epidemiology of Babesia-associated admissions, refl ecting severe Babesia-related disease. Over a 7-year period, a total of 7,818 hospitalizations listed babesiosis as a primary or secondary admitting diagnosis. Hospitalizations were seasonal (71.2% occurred during June-August) and situated overwhelmingly in the Northeast and Midwest. The patients were predominantly male and of advanced age, which is consistent with the expected epidemiology. Despite a higher severity of illness in more than (58.5%), the mortality rate was low (1.6%). Comparison with state reporting data suggests that the number of hospitalized persons with babesiosis increased modestly during the observation period.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)364-372
Number of pages9
JournalEmerging infectious diseases
Volume28
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2022

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Microbiology (medical)
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Epidemiology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Epidemiology of Hospitalized Patients with Babesiosis, United States, 2010-2016'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this