title: Systemic babesiosis. Another cause of the hemophagocytic syndrome.
abstract: Hemophagocytosis is a pathologic finding in a variety of infectious diseases associated with peripheral pancytopenia. In addition, hemophagocytosis is a prominent finding in malignant histiocytosis, a primary disorder of the monocyte-macrophage system. Systemic babesiosis is a rare parasitic disorder associated with intraerythrocytic parasites in the peripheral blood. There has been no description of the marrow findings in this disorder. A patient is described who had systemic babesiosis and prominent hemophagocytosis that disappeared after appropriate antiparasitic therapy. Systemic babesiosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hemophagocytosis.
mesh_terms: D001404:Babesiosis / Q000473:pathology*; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D008206:Lymphatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010587:Phagocytosis