Vet Med - Czech, 2011, 56(11):529-536 | DOI: 10.17221/4271-VETMED

PCR for detection of tick-borne Anaplasma phagocytophilum pathogens: a review

A. Rymaszewska
Department of Genetics, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland

Tick-borne infections such as granulocytic anaplasmosis number among emerging infectious diseases. Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an obligate intracellular bacterial parasite infecting the granulocytes of vertebrates. This bacterium is the aetiologic agent of HGA (human granulocytic anaplasmosis). Molecular methods allow quick and accurate detection of pathogens in ticks, humans, or animals. Monitoring of the environment for A. phagocytophilum involves both classical and nested PCR, since these simple methods are most efficient. As markers, parts of the 16S rRNA, ankA, groESL, msp2, or msp4 genes are used for analyses. Molecular methods have enabled analysis of the genomes of pathogens, differentiation between strains and thus, in association with ecological studies, they facilitate an understanding of their biology, pathogenicity and mode of diffusion in the natural environment.

Keywords: Anaplasma phagocytophilum; detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum;16S rRNA; ankA; groESL; msp2; msp4

Published: November 30, 2011  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Rymaszewska A. PCR for detection of tick-borne Anaplasma phagocytophilum pathogens: a review. Vet Med - Czech. 2011;56(11):529-536. doi: 10.17221/4271-VETMED.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Bakken JS, Haller I, Riddell D, Walls JJ, Dumler JS (2002): The serological response of patients with the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis. Clinical Infectious Diseases 34, 22-27. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    2. Barbet AF, Meeus PFM, Belanger M, Bowie MV, Yi J, Lundgren AM, Alleman AR, Wong SJ, Chu FK, Munderloh UG, Jauron SD (2003): Expression of multiple outer membrane protein sequence variants from a single genomic locus of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Infection and Immunity 71, 1706-1718. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    3. Barbet AF, Lundgren AM, Alleman AR, Sten S, Bjoersdorff A, Brown RN, Drazenovich NL, Foley JE (2006): Structure of the site reveals global diversity in MSP2 (P44) variants in Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Infection and Immunity 74, 6429-6437. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    4. Casey ANJ, Birtles RJ, Radford AD, Bown KJ, French NP, Woldehiwet Z, Ogden NH (2004): Groupings of highly similar major surfce protein (p44)-encoding paralogues: a potential index of genetic diversity among isolates of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Microbiology 150, 727-734. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    5. Caturegli P, Asanovich KM, Walls JJ, Bakken JS, Madigan JE, Popov VL, Dumler JS (2000): ankA: an Ehrlichia phagocytophila group gene encoding a cytoplasmic protein antigen with ankyrin repeats. Infection and Immunity 68, 5277-5283. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Chae JS, Foley JE, Dumler S, Madigan JE (2000): Comparasion of the nucleotide sequence of 16SrRNA, Ep-ank, and groESL heat shock operon genes in naturally occurring Ehrlichia equi and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis agent isolates from Nothern California. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 34, 1364-1369. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    7. Chen SM, Dumler JS, Bakken JS, Walker DH (1994) Identification of a granulocytoyropic Ehrlichia species as the etiologic agent of human disease. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 32, 589-595 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Comer JS, Nicholson WL, Sumner JW, Olson JG, Childs JE (1999): Diagnosis of human ehrlichiosis by PCR assay of acute-phase serum. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 37, 31-34. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    9. Dumler JS, Asanovich KM, Bakken JS (2003): Analysis of genetic identity of North American Anaplasma phagocytophilum strains by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 41, 3392-3394. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Dunning Hotopp JC, Lin M, Madupu R, Crabtree J, Angiuoli SV, Eisen J, Seshadri R, Ren Q, Wu M, Utterback TR, Smith S, Lewis M, Khouri H, Zhang C, Niu H, Lin Q, Ohashi N, Zhi N, Nelson W, Brinkac LM, Dodson RI, Rosovitz MJ, Sundaram J, Daugherty SC, Davidsen T, Durkin AS, Gwinn M, Haft DH, Selengut JD, Sullivan SA, Zafar N, Zhou L, Benahmed F, Forberger H, Halpin R, Mulligan S, Robinson J, White O, Rikihisa Y, Tettelin H (2006): Comparative genomics of emerging human ehrlichiosis agents. PloS Genetics 2, 208-223. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    11. Goodman JL, Nelson C, Vitale B, Madigan JE, Dumler JS, Kurtti TJ, Munderloh UG (1996): Direct cultivation of the causative agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis. The New England Journal of Medicine 334, 210-215. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Katargina O, Geller J, Alekseev A, Dubinina H, Efremova G, Mishaeva N, Vasilenko V, Kuznettsowa T, Jarvekulg L, Vent S, Lundkvist A, Golovjova I (2011): Identification of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in tick populations in Estonia, European part of Russia and Belarus. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, doi:10.1111/j.1469-0691.2010.03457. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    13. Levin KL, Ros DE (2004): Acquisition of different isolates of Anaplasma phagocytophilum by Ixodes scapularis from a model animal. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases 4, 53-59. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. Levin ML, Nicholson WL, Massung RF, Sumner JW, Fish D (2002): Comparsion of the reservoir competence of medium-sitzed mammals and Peromyscus leucopus for Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Connecticut. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases 2, 125-136. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Lin Q, Rikihisa Y, Felek S, Wang X, Massung RF, Woldehiwet Z (2004): Anaplasma phagocytophilum has a functional msp2 gene that is distinct from p44. Infection and Immunity 72, 3883-3889. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Lotric-Furlan S, Avsic-Zupanc T, Petrovec M, Nicholson WL, Sumner JW, Childs JE, Strle F (2001): Clinical and serological follow-up of patients with human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Slovenia. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology 8, 899-903. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Massung RF, Owens JH, Ross D, Reed KD, Petrovec M, Bjoersdorff A, Coughlin RT, Beltz GA, Murphy CI (2000): Sequence analysis of the ank gene of granulocytic ehrlichiae. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 38, 2917-2922. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Massung RF, Lee K, Mauel MJ, Gusa A (2002): Characterization of the rRNA genes of Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Anaplasma phagocytophila. DNA and Cell Biology, 21, 587-596. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Massung RF, Levin ML, Munderloh UG, Silverman DJ, Lynch MJ, Gaywee JK, Kurtti TJ (2007): Isolation and propagation of the Ap-variant 1 strain of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in a tick cell line. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 45, 2138-2143. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. Park J, Kim KJ, Choi KS, Garb DJ, Dumler JS (2004) Anaplasma phagocytophilum AnkA binds to granulocyte DNA and nuclear proteins. Cell Microbiology 6, 743-751. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    21. Petrovec M, Lotric Furlan S, Zupanc TA, Strle F, Brouqui Ph, Roux V, Dumler JS (1997): Human disease in Europe caused by a granulocytic Ehrlichia species. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 35, 1556-1559. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. Petrovec M, Sumner JW, Nicholson WL, Childs JE, Strle F, Barlic J, Lotric-Furlan S, Avsic-Zupanc T (1999): Identity of ehrlichial DNA sequences derived from Ixodes ricinus ticks with those obtained from patients with human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Slovenia. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 37, 209-210. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    23. Petrovec M, Bidovec A, Sumner JW, Nicholson WL, Childs JE, Avsic-Zupanc T (2002): Infection with Anaplasma phagocytophila in cervids from Slovenia: evidence of two genotypic lineages. Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift 114, 641-647.
    24. Petrovec M, Sixl W, Marth E, Bushati N, Wust G (2003): Domestic animals as indicatiors of Anaplasma species infections in Northern Albania. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 990, 112-115. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    25. Reeves WK, Dowling APG, Dasch GA (2006): Rickettsial agents from parasitic Dermanyssoidea (Acari: Mesostigmata). Experimental and Applied Acarology 38, 181-188. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    26. Rymaszewska A (2008): Divergence within the marker region of the groESL operon in Anaplasma phagocytophilum. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 27, 1025-1036. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    27. Rymaszewska A (2010): Variability within the msp2 gene in population of Anaplasma phagocythopilum. Folia Biologica (Praha), 56, 269-275. Go to PubMed...
    28. Rymaszewska A (2011): Genotyping of Anaplasma phagocytophilum based on selected protein-coding genes and the ribosomal 16S rRNA gene. In press.
    29. Rymaszewska A, Adamska M (2011): Molecular evidence of tick-borne pathogens co-infecting dogs from Poland. Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 59, 215-223. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    30. Scorpio DG, Caspersen K, Ogata H, Park J, Dumler JS (2004): Restricted changes in major surface protein-2 (msp2) transcription after prolonged in vitro passage of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. BMC Microbiology 4, 1. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    31. Shukla SK, Asani V, Stockwell PJ, Reed KD (2007): Contribution of polymorphism in ankA, gltA and groESL in defining genetic variants of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 45, 2312-2315. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    32. Skoracki M, Michalik J, Skotarczak B, Rymaszewska A, Sikora B, Hofman T, Wodecka B, Sawczuk M (2006): First detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in quill mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) parasitizing passerine birds. Microbes and Infection 8, 303-307. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    33. Smrdel KS, Seret M, Duh D, Knap N, Avsic-Zupanc T (2010): Anaplasma phagocytophilum in ticks in Slovenia. Parasites and Vectors 3, 210. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    34. Stefancikova A, Derdakova M, Lencakova D, Ivanova R, Stanko M, Cislakova L, Petko B (2008): Serological and molecular detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasmataceae in rodents. Folia Microbiologica (Praha) 53, 493-499. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    35. Stuen S, Bergstrom K, Petrovec M, Van de Pol I, Schouls LM (2003): Differences in clinical manifestations and hematological and serological responses after experimental infection with genetic variants of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in sheep. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology 10, 692-695. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    36. Sumner JW, Nicholson WL, Massung RF (1997): PCR amplification and comparison of nucleotide sequences from the groESL heat shock operon of Ehrlichia species. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 35, 2087-2092. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    37. Toledo A, Olmeda AS, Escudero R, Jado I, Valcarcel F, Casado-Nistal MA, Rodrigez-Vargas M, Gil H, Anda P (2009): Tick-borne zoonotic bacteria in ticks collected from Central Spain. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 81, 67-74. Go to original source...
    38. von Loewenich FD, Baumgarten BU, Schroppel K, Geissdorfer W, Rollinghoff M, Bogdan C (2003): High diversity of ankA sequences of Anaplasma phagocytophilum among Ixodes ricinus ticks in Germany. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 41, 5033-5040. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    39. Walls JJ, Caturegli P, Bakken JS, Asanovich KM, Dumler JS (2000): Improved sensitivity of PCR for diagnosis of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis using epank1 genes of Ehrlichia phagocytophila-group ehrlichiae. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 38, 354-356. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    40. Warner CK, Dawson JE (1996): Genus- and species-level identification of Ehrlichia species by PCR and sequencing. In: Persing DH (ed.): PCR Protocols for Emerging Infectious Diseases. American Society for Microbiology. Washington, D.C. 101-105.
    41. Zeidner NS, Burkot TR, Massung R, Nicholson WL, Dolan MC, Rutherford JS, Biggerstaff BJ, Maupin GO (2000a): Transmission of the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis by Ixodes spinipalpis ticks: evidence of an enzootic cycle of dual infection with Borrelia burgdorferi in Northern Colorado. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 182, 616-619. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    42. Zeidner NS, Dolan MC, Massung R, Piesman J, Fish D (2000b): Coinfection with Borrelia burgdorferi and the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis suppresses IL-2 and IFNg production and promotes an IL-4 response in C3H/HeJ mice. Parasite Immunology 22, 581-588. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY NC 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content