TY - JOUR AU - Foppa, Ivo AU - Krause, Peter AU - Spielman, Andrew AU - Goethert, Heidi AU - Gern, Lise AU - Brand, Brigit AU - Telford, Sam T1 - Entomologic and Serologic Evidence of Zoonotic Transmission of Babesia microti, Eastern Switzerland T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2002 VL - 8 IS - 7 SP - 722 SN - 1080-6059 AB - We evaluated human risk for infection with Babesia microti at a site in eastern Switzerland where several B. microti–infected nymphal Ixodes ricinus ticks had been found. DNA from pooled nymphal ticks amplified by polymerase chain reaction was highly homologous to published B. microti sequences. More ticks carried babesial infection in the lower portion of the rectangular 0.7-ha grid than in the upper (11% vs. 0.8%). In addition, we measured seroprevalence of immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies against B. microti antigen in nearby residents. Serum from 1.5% of the 396 human residents of the region reacted to B. microti antigen (>1:64), as determined by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IgG). These observations constitute the first report demonstrating B. microti in a human-biting vector, associated with evidence of human exposure to this agent in a European site. KW - Babesia microti KW - Ixodes ricinus KW - human babesiosis KW - Europe KW - Switzerland DO - 10.3201/eid0807.010459 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/8/7/01-0459_article ER - End of Reference