Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37296439›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2023

Retrospective study of the epidemiological risk and serological diagnosis of human babesiosis in Asturias, Northwestern Spain.

Estrella Montero, María Folgueras, Mercedes Rodriguez-Pérez, Laura Pérez-Ls, Javier Díaz-Arias, Maria Meana, Belén Revuelta, Karita Haapasalo, Julio Collazos, Víctor Asensi and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Parasites & vectors, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
5.3field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Three Cases of Human Babesiosis, Italy, 2017-2020.Emerging infectious diseases · 2025
    Article
  4. Research progress on diagnostic techniques for differentFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Prevalence of Lyme Disease and Relapsing FeverPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024
    Review
  8. Coinfection ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Estrella MonteroParasitology Reference and Research Laboratory, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, 28220, Madrid, Spain. estrella.montero@isciii.es.
María FolguerasInfectious Diseases Unit, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo University School of Medicine, Oviedo, Spain.
Mercedes Rodriguez-PérezMicrobiology Service, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo University School of Medicine, Oviedo, Spain.
Laura Pérez-LsResearcher, Group of Translational Research in Infectious Diseases, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Oviedo, Spain.
Javier Díaz-AriasResearcher, Group of Translational Research in Infectious Diseases, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Oviedo, Spain.
Maria MeanaInternal Medicine, Hospital Alvarez-Buylla, Mieres, Asturias, Spain.
Belén RevueltaParasitology Reference and Research Laboratory, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, 28220, Madrid, Spain.
Karita HaapasaloDepartment of Bacteriology and Immunology, Medicum, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.
Julio CollazosInfectious Diseases Unit, Hospital de Galdácano, Vizcaya, Spain.
Víctor AsensiInfectious Diseases Unit, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias and Group of Translational Research in Infectious Diseases, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Oviedo, Spain.
Luis Miguel GonzalezParasitology Reference and Research Laboratory, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, 28220, Madrid, Spain.
Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias · ESInstituto de Salud Carlos III · ESHospital Universitario Central de Asturias · ESHospital de Galdakao · ESUniversity of Helsinki · FI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBabesiosis is a globally growing tick-borne disease in humans. Severe babesiosis caused by Babesia divergens has been reported in two patients from Asturias (Northwestern Spain), suggesting an undetected risk for the disease. To analyze this risk, we retrospectively evaluated the seroprevalence of babesiosis in the Asturian population from 2015 through 2017, a period covering the intermediate years in which these two severe cases occurred.

methodsIndirect fluorescent assay (IFA) and Western blot (WB) were performed to detect B. divergens IgG antibodies in 120 serum samples from Asturian patients infected with the tick-transmitted spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, a condition that indicates exposure to tick bites.

resultsThis retrospective study confirmed a B. divergens seroprevalence rate of 39.2% according to IFA results. B. divergens incidence was 7.14 cases/100,000 population, exceeding previously reported seroprevalence rates. No differences in epidemiology and risk factors were found between patients infected solely with B. burgdorferi s.l. and those infected with B. burgdorferi s.l. and with IgG antibodies against B. divergens. This last group of patients lived in Central Asturias, had a milder clinical course and, according to WB results, developed different humoral responses against B. divergens.

conclusionsBabesia divergens parasites have circulated for several years in Asturias. Epidemiological evidence of babesiosis makes Asturias an emerging risk area for this zoonosis. Human babesiosis could also be relevant in other Spanish and European regions affected by borreliosis. Hence, the potential risk of babesiosis on human health in Asturias and other European forest regions needs to be addressed by the health authorities.

Indexed as

BabesiaBabesiosisAnimalsHumansImmunoglobulin GRetrospective StudiesSeroepidemiologic StudiesSpainImmunoglobulin GBabesia divergensEpidemiological riskSerological diagnosisTicksVector-borne diseases

Identifiers

PMID37296439
PMCPMC10251545
OpenAlexW4380090647

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.