Abstract
DNA samples from 74 patients with non-malarial acute febrile illness (AFI), 282 rodents, 100 cattle, 56 dogs and 160 Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks were screened for the presence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum DNA using a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay targeting the msp2 gene. The test detected both A. phagocytophilum and Anaplasma sp. SA/ZAM dog DNA. Microbiome sequencing confirmed the presence of low levels of A. phagocytophilum DNA in the blood of rodents, dogs and cattle, while high levels of A. platys and Anaplasma sp. SA/ZAM dog were detected in dogs. Directed sequencing of the 16S rRNA and gltA genes in selected samples revealed the presence of A. phagocytophilum DNA in humans, dogs and rodents and highlighted its importance as a possible contributing cause of AFI in South Africa. A number of recently described Anaplasma species and A. platys were also detected in the study. Phylogenetic analyses grouped Anaplasma sp. SA/ZAM dog into a distinct clade, with sufficient divergence from other Anaplasma species to warrant classification as a separate species. Until appropriate type-material can be deposited and the species is formally described, we will refer to this novel organism as Anaplasma sp. SA dog.
Highlights
Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a zoonotic tick-borne intracellular pathogen that causes granulocytic anaplasmosis in humans, dogs and horses, and tick-borne fever in ruminants [1]
One study reported the detection of A. phagocytophilum in ticks collected from cattle, sheep and goats in South Africa [18], this finding cannot be considered valid because the primers used in that study can amplify any Anaplasma species
Blood samples from dogs and cattle were collected during a Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) program that ran in the Mnisi community [25]
Summary
Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a zoonotic tick-borne intracellular pathogen that causes granulocytic anaplasmosis in humans, dogs and horses, and tick-borne fever in ruminants [1]. One study reported the detection of A. phagocytophilum in ticks collected from cattle, sheep and goats in South Africa [18], this finding cannot be considered valid because the primers used in that study can amplify any Anaplasma species. With the advent of high throughput sequencing methodologies and the recent plethora of 16S rRNA gene surveys, numerous distinct Anaplasma-like 16S rRNA gene sequences have been deposited in public databases. The relationship of these agents to known pathogens, and their ability to serve as a source of cross-reaction in molecular testing, has not been assessed. The occurrence and genetic diversity of A. phagocytophilum in various hosts in Mnisi, an agro-pastoral community at the wildlife–livestock–human interface in South Africa, were explored
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