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Serendipitous Finding of Asymptomatic Babesiosis in a Patient With Symptomatic Thrombocytopenia

We report a case of isolated immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) as a result of babesiosis infection. The patient initially presented with a history, physical exam and laboratory findings consistent with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. She was treated with standard of care therapy without cli...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Anand, Lalitha, Vojnic, Morana, Spaccavento, Colette
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Elmer Press 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7155809/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32300466
http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jh570
Descripción
Sumario:We report a case of isolated immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) as a result of babesiosis infection. The patient initially presented with a history, physical exam and laboratory findings consistent with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. She was treated with standard of care therapy without clinical response. Daily evaluation of the peripheral smear ultimately revealed a red blood cell inclusion, identified and confirmed as a low-titer babesiosis infection indicative of past exposure. As described below, isolated thrombocytopenia related to babesiosis infection has not been reported prior to the patient’s presentation. There are a few cases reported to show a relationship between babesiosis and autoimmune hemolytic anemia without an understood pathophysiologic mechanism. We review the literature, propose a possible pathophysiologic mechanism of disease and consider the implications of swift identification to prevent clinical deterioration.