{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T23:13:46Z","timestamp":1783466026985,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,2]],"date-time":"2023-02-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1675296000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Babesiosis is a zoonosis caused by an intraerythrocytic protozoan of the genus <jats:italic>Babesia<\/jats:italic> and transmitted mainly by ticks of the <jats:italic>Ixodes<\/jats:italic> spp. complex. There is no comprehensive global incidence in the literature, although the United States, Europe and Asia are considered to be endemic areas. In Europe, the percentage of ticks infected with <jats:italic>Babesia<\/jats:italic> spp. ranges from 0.78% to 51.78%. The incidence of babesiosis in hospitalized patients in Spain is 2.35 cases per 10,000,000 inhabitants\/year. The mortality rate is estimated to be approximately 9% in hospitalized patients but can reach 20% if the disease is transmitted by transfusion.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>To analyze the epidemiological impact of inpatients diagnosed with babesiosis on the National Health System (NHS) of Spain between 1997 and 2019.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Methodology<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A retrospective longitudinal descriptive study that included inpatients diagnosed with babesiosis [ICD-9-CM code 088.82, ICD-10 code B60.0, cases ap2016-2019] in public Spanish NHS hospitals between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2019 was developed. Data were obtained from the minimum basic dataset (CMBD in Spanish), which was provided by the <jats:italic>Ministerio de Sanidad<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Servicios Sociales e Igualdad<\/jats:italic> after the receipt of a duly substantiated request and the signing of a confidentiality agreement.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Main findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Twenty-nine inpatients diagnosed with babesiosis were identified in Spain between 1997 and 2019 (IR: 0.28 cases\/10,000,000 person-years). A total of 82.8% of the cases were men from urban areas who were approximately 46 years old. The rate of primary diagnoses was 55.2% and the number of readmissions was 79.3%. The mean hospital stay was 20.3\u00b119.2 days, with an estimated cost of \u20ac186,925.66. Two patients, both with secondary diagnoses of babesiosis, died in our study.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec005\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Human babesiosis is still a rare zoonosis in Spain, with an incidence rate that has been increasing over the years. Most cases occurred in middle-aged men from urban areas between summer and autumn. The Castilla-La-Mancha and Extremadura regions recorded the highest number of cases. Given the low rate of primary diagnoses (55.2%) and the high number of readmissions (79.3%), a low clinical suspicion is likely. There was a 6.9% mortality in our study. Both patients who died were patients with secondary diagnoses of the disease.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0280154","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,2]],"date-time":"2023-02-02T19:17:50Z","timestamp":1675365470000},"page":"e0280154","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Is babesiosis a rare zoonosis in Spain? 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