Dr. Victor Babes and discovery of Babesiosis
Babesiosis also known as piroplasmosis is a tick- borne disease, which is an emerging intra- erythrocytic parasitic infection in human. The parasite first known to affect only cattle but later was found in other mammals as well. The parasite was later found to affect humans as well. The severity of the disease caused by this parasite can range from mild- to moderate- to severe, i.e., causing death by organ failure. Till date approximately 100 species of the Babesia genus has been identified yet only a few has been suggested to be pathogenic in humans. The symptoms more or less mimic the symptoms of malaria and are thus patients are generally mis- diagnosed. In this essay, the discovery of babesiosis and what led the individual (who discovered this disease) will be discussed.
It affects both humans as well as animals. The babesiosis occurs very rarely in humans. However, in Europe, the most popular agent of causing babesiosis in human was reported to be Babesia divergens, which is a parasite that is usually found in cattle. In contrast, the Babesia microti was found to cause babesiosis in 300 cases in the United States since 1969. This resulted in mild- to- moderate symptoms and was also reported in non- splenectomised patients. Both of these species was reported by Theobald Smith and Fred Kilbourne to transmit into animals and humans by Ixodes scapularis ticks. These parasites were usually found in small mammals. The buffalo, cattle, and zebu are known to acquire this disease due to the organism name Babesia bigemina.
The changes in the ecology led to expansion and increase of this disease among the citizens in the US. The parasites are known to destroy the red blood cells (RBCs) in humans and animals leading to lysis of erythrocytes thereby causing anemia, hemoglobinuria, hyperbilirubinuria and organ failure. The protozoa were named after its discoverer Dr. Victor Babes in the red blood cells (RBCs) of the cattle in the late nineteenth century.
Dr. Victor Babes, the discoverer of Babesia that causes the severe disease known as babesiosis, was born on 28th July 1854 in the city of Wien, Romania. He was a bacteriologist, Romanian physician, academician and a professor. From the year 1871- 1878; Dr. Victor Babes pursued and completed his education in medicine in Vienna and Budapest. Due to his exceptional performance and his brilliance was recognized by K Rokitansky, who was a famous pathologist. In 1885, Dr. Victor Babes was assigned the lecturer post at the department of histopathology. During his study tours to Europe from 1882 to 1886, he got a golden opportunity to work with the famous Louis Pasteur in Paris, Robert Koch, and R Virchow in Berlin. He has discovered approximately 50 micro- organisms during his work.
In 1888, when he was studying the reason behind the occurrence of febrile haemoglobinuria that affected the cattle, he discovered the intra- erythrocytic parasite in Red Blood Cells (RBCs) of both cattle and sheep. In 1893, he proved that this parasite was responsible for the occurrence of the tick- borne disease, Texas fever that is an acute haemolytic disease affecting the cattle in the Southern US. Thus, the parasite was named formally after him. However, until 1957, the disease was not reported in humans. It was first seen in a Yugoslavian farmer, who was previously splenectomised and was admitted to the hospital with high fever, jaundice, anemia ad hemoglobinuria. Initially, pathologist first suspected that he suffered from malaria as his blood contained numerous intra- erythrocytic rings. However, after eight days he died and review of his slides revealed that he was infected with Babesia genus (Anand).
Until 1969, the patient affected with babesiosis cases were found in a splenectomised patient. However, later this disease was reported in a non- splenectomised patient and it was proved that this protozoan parasite causing such serious disease was pathogenic to all individual. This disease results in symptoms such as irregular high fever, headaches, chills, lethargy, malaise and pain, while in severe cases it shows symptoms such as shortness of breath, jaundice, haemolytic anemia, and hemoglobinuria as a result of lytic effects due to multiplication of this parasite in the blood .
Therefore, Babesiosis is a life- threatening disease not only for animals but also for humans, thus, appropriate detection methods need to be developed and appropriate management of the disease in affected individuals is much needed.
Works Cited
Anand, KP, Anand, A., Kashyap, AS. “Dr. Victor Babes, Discoverer of Babesia.” Journal of the association of physicians in India 63 (2015): 10- 11.
Hunfeld, KP, Hildebrandt, A., Gray, JS. “Babesiosis: Recent insights into an ancient disease.” International Journal of Parasitology 38.12 (2008): 1219- 1237.
