Tick-borne illness
Babesiosis Babesiosis is a malaria-like parasitic infection of red blood cells (Babesia microti) carried by black-legged ticks in the Northeast and Upper Midwest.
At a glance
12,996
Total cases
latest year · 2022
51
States affected
top · New York
12,996 reported cases across 51 states.
Cases peak in July — about 2,563 cases reported.
Month Cases Jan 41 Feb 22 Mar 42 Apr 57 May 297 Jun 1,544 Jul 2,563 Aug 1,143 Sep 326 Oct 198 Nov 146 Dec 70
8,755 6,566 4,378 2,189 0 2019 2022 REPORTED CASES · PER YEAR
Ticks that carry it 2 known Tick Scientific name One-liner Blacklegged tick Ixodes scapularis The black-legged tick is the primary US vector of Lyme disease, established across the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic. Castor bean tick Ixodes ricinus The castor bean tick is the principal European vector of Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis, ranging from Britain to the Caspian.
Pathogens that cause it 1 known Pathogen Scientific name One-liner Babesia microti Babesia microti Malaria-like protozoan that infects red blood cells; the dominant cause of human babesiosis in the northeastern and upper-midwest US.