Relapsing Babesiosis Case Treated Successfully with Tafenoquine

A study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, by Ralph Rogers, et al.,Relapsing Babesiosis examined antimicrobial resistance in an immunocompromised patient with relapsing babesiosis who was effectively treated with tafenoquine.   

The researchers describe a point mutation in the Babesia microti 23S rRNA gene which enabled them to predict the microbe’s resistance to azithromycin and clindamycin while an amino acid fluctuation in the parasite cytochrome b made it possible to project the microbe’s resistance to atovaquone. After the administration of tafenoquine, the patient’s symptoms and parasitic infection were resolved.

Find the study in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Read more about tafenoquine treatment for babesiosis.