Faculty mentor/PI email address
jim010@aol.com
Is your research Teaching and Learning based?
1
Keywords
Babesiosis, babesiosis and Lyme coinfection, Babesia, altered mental status, acute encephalopathy, Lyme disease, tick-borne infection, coinfection, deer tick, Ixodes scapularis
Date of Presentation
5-6-2026 12:00 AM
Poster Abstract
Acute confusion in older adults is a common emergency department presentation with a broad differential diagnosis. Tick-borne illnesses can cause significant systemic disease and may present with nonspecific neurologic or constitutional symptoms, making early recognition challenging. Babesiosis is a tick-borne parasitic infection transmitted by Ixodes ticks and may occur concurrently with other infections such as Lyme disease, further complicating diagnosis. We present a case of a 67-year-old male who presented with acute confusion and was found to have concurrent babesiosis and Lyme disease. This case highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for tick-borne co-infections in patients with altered mental status in endemic regions and underscores the role of early recognition in the emergency department to reduce complications associated with severe babesiosis.
Disciplines
Bacterial Infections and Mycoses | Medicine and Health Sciences | Parasitic Diseases | Virus Diseases
Included in
Bacterial Infections and Mycoses Commons, Parasitic Diseases Commons, Virus Diseases Commons
Case Report: Acute Encephalopathy Revealing Severe Babesiosis With Lyme Co-Infection
Acute confusion in older adults is a common emergency department presentation with a broad differential diagnosis. Tick-borne illnesses can cause significant systemic disease and may present with nonspecific neurologic or constitutional symptoms, making early recognition challenging. Babesiosis is a tick-borne parasitic infection transmitted by Ixodes ticks and may occur concurrently with other infections such as Lyme disease, further complicating diagnosis. We present a case of a 67-year-old male who presented with acute confusion and was found to have concurrent babesiosis and Lyme disease. This case highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for tick-borne co-infections in patients with altered mental status in endemic regions and underscores the role of early recognition in the emergency department to reduce complications associated with severe babesiosis.