Loading...
Babesiosis, caused by the tickborne protozoan pathogen Babesia microti, is a febrile illness that can be associated with significant clinical hemolysis. After noting a patient who was diagnosed with warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (WAHA) after treatment for babesiosis, physicians at a Boston academic medical center undertook a retrospective review to determine if WAHA was associated with babesiosis.
Among 86 patients with babesiosis seen between 2009 and 2016, 7 asplenic patients were found to have laboratory evidence of WAHA, including 6 who developed acute hemolytic anemia between 2 and 4 weeks after diagnosis of babesiosis and had no alternative explanation for clinical hemolysis. All six had required hospitalization; had no evidence of …