Failure of an Approximately Six Week Course of Tafenoquine to Completely Eradicate Babesia microti Infection in an Immunocompromised Patient

Prithiv J Prasad; Gary P Wormser

doi:10.3390/pathogens11091051

Failure of an Approximately Six Week Course of Tafenoquine to Completely Eradicate Babesia microti Infection in an Immunocompromised Patient

Pathogens. 2022 Sep 15;11(9):1051. doi: 10.3390/pathogens11091051.

Authors

Prithiv J Prasad¹, Gary P Wormser²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Infectious Diseases, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
² Division of Infectious Diseases, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA.

Abstract

Although tafenoquine was highly effective for eliminating microscopically detectable parasitemia in mouse models of Babesia microti infection, all of the mice which were assessed developed a relapse of infection, except for those which had been treated concomitantly with artesunate. We report an immunocompromised patient with a similar relapse of parasitemia despite a 46-day course of tafenoquine treatment. More data on whether a longer duration of tafenoquine treatment or using a higher maintenance dose, versus adding a second drug to the regimen, will prevent relapse when tafenoquine is used to treat a highly immunocompromised patient with babesiosis should be investigated.

Keywords: Babesia microti; babesiosis; leukopenia; neutropenia; tafenoquine.

Publication types

Case Reports

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.