PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Rhode Island health authorities are reporting a rising number of cases of a disease caused by a tick-borne parasite that attacks red blood cells.

Babesiosis is transmitted by the same deer ticks that carry Lyme disease, health officials said. So far this year, the Department of Health has documented 46 cases of babesiosis, compared to 43 last year.

Wet weather has increased the number of ticks, and that has contributed to the disease’s spread, said Thomas Mather, an entomologist who directs the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Vector-Borne Disease.

“It’s a relatively rare infection, but it’s increasing for sure,” he said. “People are still very confused about this. A lot of people think it’s just another form of Lyme disease.”

The immune systems of most people are robust enough to kill the parasite without medication. But those who fall ill experience fever, chills, sweating, muscle aches and can develop anemia.

Symptoms typically develop about three to four weeks following a bite from an infected tick. Deer ticks infected with the disease-causing parasites are concentrated mainly in southern Rhode Island, Mather said. About 12 percent of ticks in the nymphal stage carry the babesia parasite, while about 20 percent carry Lyme disease, Mather said. Some carry both.

Babesia parasites can enter the body through the bite of a deer tick, which must remain attached for two days to transmit the parasite, or through a blood transfusion. Blood donors can carry the parasite without knowing it because there aren’t good tests for detecting it in a healthy person.

“The tricky part is thinking about it and recognizing it,” said Dr. Christopher Brown, an infectious disease specialist who works in South Kingstown. “It’s not hard to treat. People tend to respond well to treatment.”

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Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.projo.com/

AP-ES-07-30-06 1000EDT