Blood transfusion transmission of the tick-borne relapsing fever spirocheteBorrelia miyamotoi in mice

Commentary: Blood transfusion transmission of tick-borne infections such as Babesia, Anaplasma and certain relapsing fever spirochetes have previously been reported in the medical literature. The relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia miyamotoi has now been found to be transmitted by blood transfusion in mice, increasing the possibility of transfusion transmission in humans. B. miyamotoi is the newest tick-borne infection rapidly spreading across the US. A recent Yale study showed that 4% of people living in New England had been exposed to B. miyamotoi, and as we do not yet have a reliable commercially available test, relapsing fever spirochetes can be added to our list of growing infections that pose a potential health threat to our blood supply.

Blood transfusion transmission of the tick-borne relapsing fever spirocheteBorrelia miyamotoi in mice, Transfusion