Human Babesiosis and Travelers’ Health: Clinical and Public Health Issues

Babesiosis is an infection caused by protozoa of the Babesia genus, whose vector are ticks of the Ixodes scapularis species. The disease is endemic in the United States, and, less frequently, in Europe; however, other regions occasionally may be affected. In non-endemic regions, like Brazil, the most of cases are associated with endemic areas travel. Thereby, the diagnosis should be proposed for patients with suggestive infection symptoms. Therefore, this review describes the illness caused by Babesia spp. and emphasizes the travelers' health aspects. The discussion was based on the Cochrane, Lilacs, Pubmed, Scielo, and Scielo Brasil databases, including the citations available up to May 30, 2017. Traveler awareness about the possible transmittable illnesses at the destination, specifically babesiosis in the United States and Europe is fundamental.