title: Detection of extracellular forms of babesia in the blood by electron microscopy: a diagnostic method for differentiation from Plasmodium falciparum.
abstract: Light microscopic examination of blood smears is the traditional approach for the diagnosis of babesiosis, but there is morphological overlap with Plasmodium falciparum. The authors describe 3 patients with babesial infection in whom the diagnosis was made by identifying extracellular merozoites in a buffy coat preparation using electron microscopy. This method resulted in a high yield of extracellular babesia, even in a case where virtually no extracellular babesia were detectable in the blood smear. The test had a reasonably fast turnaround time and allowed detailed visualization of the organisms and reliable distinction from Plasmodium falciparum.
authors.affiliation: New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: Zhanqing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Nicholas D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Cassai
authors.forename: Gurdip S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Sidhu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D041001:Babesia microti / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000648:ultrastructure*