Expert Physician and Author of Seven Babesia Textbooks Explains What You Need to Know
When I discovered my family had fallen into the simple late 1990s and early 2000s notion of "Lyme disease only" thinking, as if biting insects are sterile except for one infection, we found we all had Babesia, not merely Lyme disease. I was surprised. I never heard of this infection in medical school. So, we invested over a million dollars and years to write the world's first definitive physician education book. It is still used worldwide and fair-quality translations in many languages are available for free. It started with interviews with those in areas at high risk for Babesia, including top physicians who had already treated this infection in the 1980s. They generously shared their time and treatment ideas, and I worked diligently to build on their primary innovative practices. Most errors in the treatment of Babesia are addressed in this 2006 textbook. Doctors who are sincerely attempting to treat Babesia have not read this book. At most, like all busy physicians, they may look for easy-to-understand treatment lists or clear guidelines. I do the same at times.
THE ROUTINE “TICKS ONLY CARRY LYME, SO TEST ONLY FOR LYME DISEASE” APPROACH
Sample Tick-Borne Infections (Carried by Ticks):
Diseases transmitted by ticks (CDC.gov)
In the United States, some ticks carry pathogens that can cause human disease, including:
- Anaplasmosis
- Babesiosis
- Bourbon virus
- Colorado tick fever
- Ehrlichiosis
- Hard tick relapsing fever
- Heartland virus
- Lyme disease
- Powassan virus
- Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- Soft tick relapsing fever
- STARI
- Tularemia
- 364D rickettsiosis
I do not believe every tick carries all of these. I suspect that in 2026 the CDC might add some infections and PhD experts in tick infections likely can add even more.
My only point is that the 45+ year routine notion of looking only for Lyme bacteria in possible or clear tick bites is absurd. It shows a significant defect in the detection of emerging infections carried by ticks and other biting insects. (Though some biting insect infections are treated very well, e.g., malaria from biting mosquitoes is handled with increasing excellence).
The idea that you can use Lyme as the canary in the coal mine for tick bites is profoundly dated and shows no appreciation for the vast array of stealth tactics the Lyme bacterium uses to evade antibodies. My physician-directed, authoritative, and comprehensive Babesia textbook lists over 20 ways Lyme evades your immunity.
Babesia also has ways to prevent reliable positive antibody tests. Most large commercial labs miss Babesia, as is clearly shown in my self-funded research and occasionally verified by PCR DNA testing. Safely killing a small number of Babesia bacteria can produce positive antibody tests in laboratories using advanced emerging-infection technology. This is not typical, but I worry about a death rate of 1.4% and wonder if it may be higher.
Who Qualifies as an Expert in Treating Babesia?
Perhaps thousands of hours of studying, reading opposing positions and being mentored define a Babesia expert. You cannot obtain the necessary excellence in treating Babesia by simply attending a few hours of education or reading guidelines on the subject.