Method for Detecting Babesia gibsoni in Erythrocytes

Abstract

A simple method for detecting Babesia gibsoni in blood was established. Red blood cells infected with B. gibsoni (treated with EDTA-2K) were collected by centrifugation and resuspended in a 10-fold volume of physiological saline. The suspension was transferred to a syringe, passed through a 3μm Millipore filter and lysed. The precipitate thus obtained was smeared on a slide glass, stained with Giemsa's solution and examined by microscopy. Protozoae were detected consistently in all smear samples. No parasite, however, could be found in any of whole blood smears.