{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,20]],"date-time":"2026-03-20T09:48:06Z","timestamp":1774000086957,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,20]],"date-time":"2026-03-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773964800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      <jats:italic>Babesia<\/jats:italic>\n                      , an intraerythrocytic protozoan, is globally distributed and poses a significant public health burden. In China, human babesiosis is mainly caused by\n                      <jats:italic>Babesia microti<\/jats:italic>\n                      , and the Zhejiang Province is endemic. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of\n                      <jats:italic>B. microti<\/jats:italic>\n                      in the population, reservoir hosts, and vectors; assess population exposure risks; and gain further insight into the genotype structure in Zhejiang.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      From May 2020 to October 2023, blood samples from local residents and blood donors, as well as blood or liver tissues from rodents and questing or host-attached ticks, were collected from seven counties in southern Zhejiang Province. DNA was extracted for the detection of\n                      <jats:italic>B. microti<\/jats:italic>\n                      and identification of the rodent and tick species. A retrospective investigation was conducted on individuals who tested positive. Positive samples were sequenced for phylogenetic analyses.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      In total, 4,728 samples were collected, including 2,475 local residents, 358 blood donors, 1,615 rodents, and 280 questing or host-attached ticks.\n                      <jats:italic>B. microti<\/jats:italic>\n                      was detected in six local residents, 71 rodents, and nine ticks, with infection rates of 0.24, 4.40, and 3.21%, respectively. Human infections and positive ticks were found in specific counties, whereas positive rodents were detected in all counties. All six infected individuals were asymptomatic carriers with a history of outdoor activities in forested areas, and four also reported contact with animals. A total of 17 rodent species were identified, among which\n                      <jats:italic>Niviventer lotipes<\/jats:italic>\n                      exhibited the highest risk. The tick species identified included\n                      <jats:italic>Haemaphysalis longicornis<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Ixodes granulatus<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides<\/jats:italic>\n                      , and\n                      <jats:italic>Rhipicephalus microplus<\/jats:italic>\n                      . Positive samples were detected for both\n                      <jats:italic>I. granulatus<\/jats:italic>\n                      and\n                      <jats:italic>R. microplus<\/jats:italic>\n                      . Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of the positive samples revealed that all the sequences belonged to the Kobe type.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      This study is the first comprehensive report of\n                      <jats:italic>B. microti<\/jats:italic>\n                      infection across its life cycle in Zhejiang Province, revealing a wide prevalence in rodents and ticks. Asymptomatic infections in humans have also been reported.\n                      <jats:italic>N. lotipes<\/jats:italic>\n                      appears to be the predominant rodent reservoir host. In addition,\n                      <jats:italic>I. granulatus<\/jats:italic>\n                      and\n                      <jats:italic>R. microplus<\/jats:italic>\n                      may serve as primary tick vectors. These findings provide valuable information for developing preventive strategies against babesiosis in China.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1799424","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,20]],"date-time":"2026-03-20T06:37:19Z","timestamp":1773988639000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Molecular epidemiology of Babesia microti in southern Zhejiang: an integrated survey of humans, rodent reservoirs, and tick vectors (2020\u20132023)"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Jia-Qi","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention","place":["Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xuan","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention","place":["Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wen-Jie","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention","place":["Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hua-Liang","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention","place":["Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yan","family":"Feng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention","place":["Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ke-Gen","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention","place":["Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Qiao-Yi","family":"Lu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention","place":["Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ji-Min","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention","place":["Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiao-Xiao","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention","place":["Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Ruan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention","place":["Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","article-title":"Recommendations for reducing the risk of transfusion-transmitted babesiosis","year":"2019"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10034","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.91.21.10034","article-title":"Phylogeny of hard- and soft-tick taxa (Acari: Ixodida) based on mitochondrial 16S rdna sequences","volume":"91","author":"Black","year":"1994","journal-title":"Proc. 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