Babesia are tick-transmitted protozoan hemoparasites, of great economic, veterinary and medical impact worldwide. They are considered to be the second most commonly found parasites in the blood of mammals after trypanosomes, and they have also been described infecting birds. In their vertebrate hosts they reproduce asexually inside erythrocytes, and together with Theileria spp. they are referred to as piroplasms or piroplasmids. The sexual phase of the Babesia life cycle typically takes place in Ixodid ticks, which acquire and transmit the parasites during their blood meals