Babesia microti Infection Presenting as Acute Splenic Laceration

Abstract

Abstract

Background:

Blunt abdominal trauma leading to splenic injury can cause substantial morbidity, particularly in patients with established splenic pathology. In such cases, the extant pathology may increase a patient's susceptibility to blunt injury, most notably by inducing hypersplenism; Babesia microti may create such a condition.

Methods:

Case report and English language-based literature review.

Results:

Obtaining an appropriate travel history and understanding endemic infectious conditions will better enable the clinician to establish readily treatable concomitant diagnoses in the setting of injury.

Conclusions:

Failure to treat such infections may delay solid organ healing, leading to the patient being released to unrestricted and therefore risky activity with persistently abnormal splenic architecture.