Eighteen clinically ill dogs, naturally infected with Anaplasma phagocytophilum, were examined at a veterinary practice in Baxter, Minnesota. A clinical examination, complete blood cell count, enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for A phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Ehrlichia canis antibodies and Dirofilaria immitis antigen, and a polymerase chain reaction test for A phagocytoph...

BACKGROUND Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-borne pathogen of veterinary and human importance. Both ticks as vectors and vertebrates as reservoir hosts are essential for the cycle maintenance of this bacterium. Currently, the whole range of animal species reservoirs for A. phagocytophilum in natural environment is still unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence...

BACKGROUND Tick-borne pathogens cause emerging zoonoses, and include fastidious organisms such as Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Because of their obligate intracellular nature, methods for mutagenesis and transformation have not been available. RESULTS To facilitate genetic manipulation, we transformed A. phagocytophilum (Ap) to express a green fluorescent protein (GFP) with the Himar1 transposas...

The genus Anaplasma consists of tick-transmitted obligate intracellular bacteria that invade white or red blood cells to cause debilitating and potentially fatal infections. A. phagocytophilum, a human and veterinary pathogen, infects neutrophils to cause granulocytic anaplasmosis. A. marginale invades bovine erythrocytes. Evidence suggests that both species may also infect endothelial cells in...

Co-infection with Borrelia species and Anaplasma phagocytophilum or Babesia spp. was assessed in a retrospective study of tick-exposed individuals from southeastern Poland. The co-infection rate of these pathogens was found to be rather low (Borrelia spp./Anaplasma phagocytophilum--4.2%, 1/24; Borrelia spp./Babesia spp.--4.2%, 1/24). However, due to the increased prevalence of Borrelia spp. in ...

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between seropositivity to Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and the following factors: (i) type of household (rural vs. urban), (ii) use of acaricides (type and seasonality/duration), and (iii) history of tick bite (season). Blood samples were collected from all the dogs in the household and dog owners were survey...

Field-collected ticks were used to infect goats with either Ap-ha, a strain associated with human disease, or a variant strain, Ap-Variant 1, of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Goats were shown to be competent as a reservoir for Ap-Variant 1, and challenge and immunosuppression studies were used to further examine infection in the goat model.