A Case of Babesiosis in a Pregnant Patient Treated with Red Blood Cell Exchange Transfusion

Babesiosis, caused predominantly by Babesia microti, is an emerging health risk in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. We present a case of a pregnant woman with history of splenectomy diagnosed with babesiosis at 23 5/7 weeks of gestational age refractory to antimicrobial therapy. She un...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Baruch Abittan, Aaron Nizam, Michael Oey, Felicia Callan, Lisa Simmonds, Sarah L. Pachtman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2019-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/9869323
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Summary:Babesiosis, caused predominantly by Babesia microti, is an emerging health risk in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. We present a case of a pregnant woman with history of splenectomy diagnosed with babesiosis at 23 5/7 weeks of gestational age refractory to antimicrobial therapy. She underwent the first reported red blood cell exchange transfusion for babesiosis in pregnancy, at 24 4/7 weeks of gestational age, which resulted in resolution of parasitemia. She had a full term, uncomplicated cesarean delivery. Exchange transfusion is potentially a safe treatment option for severe babesiosis infection in pregnancy and should be considered when other methods are poorly tolerated or ineffective.
ISSN:2090-6684
2090-6692