MILPITAS, Calif., August 19, 2022 – IGeneX, a leading tick-borne disease testing lab, is pleased to announce the availability of ImmunoBlot testing for Babesia. The Babesia ImmunoBlot tests for the Babesia genus and speciates to multiple species of Babesia that commonly infect humans, including B. microti and B. duncani.
Most serological tests for Babesia have poor sensitivity and have not been able to detect many of the ever-growing list of species and strains. With the new IGeneX Babesia ImmunoBlots, sensitivity is superior without compromising specificity of the test.
“We are delighted to bring the ImmunoBlot technology used for Lyme disease and COVID-19 to Babesia,” said Dr. Jyotsna Shah, PhD, President and Laboratory Director of IGeneX. “Without accurate, multi-species tests that detect infection at all stages of disease, patients are unable to get a correct diagnosis and can’t get better.”
What is Babesia?
Babesia is a tiny parasite that infects red blood cells, making it very much like malaria. Infection with Babesia is called babesiosis. The parasitic infection is usually transmitted by a tick bite. Babesiosis often occurs at the same time as Lyme disease because the tick that carries the Lyme bacteria can also be infected with the Babesia parasite.
Human babesiosis infection may cause fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, and/or muscle aches (myalgia). Symptoms may be mild in otherwise healthy people; in addition, some infected individuals may exhibit no symptoms. In some cases, Babesia can be fatal.
Babesia is Widespread
Cases of Babesia are now confirmed to be present in all 50 states. There are two main reasons for this: an increase in ticks and travel. Due to ecological change and climate change, the hard-bodied Eastern black-legged ticks that carry Babesia have migrated away from historically common areas such as the Northeast and Upper Midwest. In addition, recent data suggest that the Brown Dog Tick can transmit less common strains of Babesia, including Babesia vogeli and Babesia canis.
IGeneX data also shows that patients positive for Babesia often contract the disease during domestic travel. Moreover, due to international travel, cases of common European strains of Babesia, such as Babesia divergens, are appearing across the US.
Babesia May Be More Prevalent Than Lyme Disease
A study of 10,000 patients revealed that 37.3% were positive for Babesia, and 32.1% for Lyme disease. However, Lyme is generally considered more widespread than Babesia because it is more widely reported than Babesia, and Lyme figures include TBRF, as both diseases are caused by Borrelia.
The Importance of Testing for Babesia
Babesia is the most common Lyme disease co-infection, and therefore testing is recommended if being tested for Lyme. The Babesia ImmunoBlots will aid health care professionals in confirming exposure to Babesia.
Advantages of the Babesia ImmunoBlot
• Uses specifically created recombinant proteins and not proteins from cultures
• Unlike IFA, can detect multiple species in one test
• Detects the full spectrum of disease: early, active and late-stage
• Detects Babesia genus and speciates to B. microti and B. duncani
• Replaces the IFA
• Avoids the error prone process of visualizing slides through a microscope
Pricing for the Babesia ImmunoBlots is $225 for IgM and $225 for IgG, but through September 30th, each ImmunoBlot can be purchased for $160 if both are purchased at the same time. That is a savings of nearly 30%.
For more information on how to order IGeneX testing, please contact IGeneX today at 1-800-832-3200 or visit igenex.com.
