Abstract
Anaplasma platys and A. phagocytophilum are tick-borne pathogens that parasitize platelets and neutrophils, respectively, of humans and animals. The former is the etiological agent of canine cyclic thrombocytopenia, while the latter is that of canine granulocytic anaplasmosis. This work involved the detection and identification of Anaplasma species in blood samples from dogs in Colombia, using molecular techniques. Between December 2008 and April 2009, blood samples were drawn from the cephalic vein of 91 dogs in the central-western region of Colombia (cities of Bogota, Villavicencio and Bucaramanga) and stored in tubes containing EDTA. These samples were used in 16S rRNA-Anaplasma spp. nPCR and the preparation of blood smears. One (1.1%) of the 91 sampled dogs showed inclusions suggestive of Anaplasmataceae agents in the cytoplasm of platelets. Based on PCR followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, A. platys and Anaplasma sp. closed related to A. phagocytophilum were detected in two and one dog, respectively. Interestingly, all the samples were negative for specific msp-2-A. phagocytophilum real-time qPCR, suggesting the circulation of an Anaplasma species phylogenetically related to A. phagocytophilum in dogs in the aforementioned region. Hence, Anaplasma spp. circulates among dogs in Colombia, albeit with low frequency. To the best of authors' knowledge, this is the first molecular detection of Anaplasma spp. in dogs in Colombia.
Highlights
Anaplasma species (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) are gram‐negative obligate intracellular bacteria that can parasitize domestic and wild animals as well as humans (DUMLER et al, 2001; ISMAIL et al, 2010).Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the etiological agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA), and tick-borne fever in ruminants, parasitizes neutrophils and eosinophils, whose biological cycle is preserved in the environment by ticks of the Ixodes persulcatus species complex and vertebrate reservoirs (DUMLER et al, 2001)
Among the 91 dogs, three (3.3%) sampled in Bucaramanga city were positive for Anaplasma spp. in the PCR assay based on 16S rRNA gene; two of them showed clinical signs suggestive of hemoparasitosis
The basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) analysis, A. platys (99% of identity with A. platys detected in dogs in Thailand [EF139459]) and Anaplasma sp. (99% of identity with A. phagocytophilum isolated in the USA [CP006616]) were identified as the species found in two dogs and one sampled dog, respectively (Figure 2)
Summary
Anaplasma species (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) are gram‐negative obligate intracellular bacteria that can parasitize domestic and wild animals as well as humans (DUMLER et al, 2001; ISMAIL et al, 2010). The etiological agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA), and tick-borne fever in ruminants, parasitizes neutrophils and eosinophils, whose biological cycle is preserved in the environment by ticks of the Ixodes persulcatus species complex and vertebrate reservoirs (DUMLER et al, 2001). In the USA, the Ixodes scapularis tick is responsible for the transmission of A. phagocytophilum in the northeast and mid-west, while the I. pacificus tick species is involved in the transmission of the agent on the country’s Pacific coast (BARLOUGH et al, 1997; LEVIN & FISH, 2001). Dogs may play a role as reservoirs for A. phagocytophilum (OTEO & BROUQUI, 2005). Central nervous system dysfunction and lameness have been recorded in canine anaplasmosis by A. phagocytophilum (LESTER et al, 2005)
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