ABSTRACT
Blood smear analysis is especially useful for diagnosing five infectious diseases: babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, relapsing fever due to Borrelia infection, malaria, and American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease). It should be performed in patients with persistent or recurring fever or in those who have traveled to the developing world or who have a history of tick exposure, especially if accompanied by hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, or hepatosplenomegaly.
Footnotes
↵* Dr. Greenfield has disclosed that he has received honoraria from the Astellas, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cubicin, Gilead, Ortho-NcNeil, and Pfizer corporations for teaching and speaking.
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