Prevalence and genetic diversity of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia in ticks and domesticated animals in Suizhou County, Hubei Province, China

• Published in: Scientific reports 2024-06, Vol.14 (1), p.12621-11, Article 12621
• Main Authors: Tang, Ju, Xu, Jiao, Liu, Xiao-hui, Lv, Fang-zhi, Yao, Qiu-ju, Zhou, Xiao-Fan, Lu, Hui-ya, Yu, Tian-mei, Jiang, Ze-zheng, Jin, Xiao-zhou, Guo, Fang, Yu, Xue-jie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/308/174; 692/699/255; Anaplasma; Anaplasma - genetics; Anaplasma - isolation & purification; Anaplasmosis - epidemiology; Anaplasmosis - microbiology; Animals; Animals, Domestic - microbiology; Arachnids; Cattle; China; China - epidemiology; DNA sequencing; Dogs; Domestic animals; Domestication; Ehrlichia; Ehrlichia - genetics; Ehrlichia - isolation & purification; Ehrlichiosis - epidemiology; Ehrlichiosis - microbiology; Ehrlichiosis - veterinary; Genetic diversity; Genetic Variation; GltA gene; Goats; Goats - microbiology; GroEL gene; Haemaphysalis longicornis; Humanities and Social Sciences; Infections; multidisciplinary; Phylogeny; Polymerase chain reaction; Prevalence; Rhipicephalus microplus; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; rRNA 16S; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Ticks; Ticks - microbiology
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63267-6

Anaplasma and Ehrlichia are tick-borne bacterial pathogens that cause anaplasmoses and ehrlichioses in humans and animals. In this study, we examined the prevalence of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species in ticks and domesticated animals in Suizhou County, Hubei Province in the central China. We used PCR amplification and DNA sequencing of the 16S rRNA, gro EL, and glt A genes to analyze. We collected 1900 ticks, including 1981 Haemaphysalis longicornis and 9 Rhipicephalus microplus , 159 blood samples of goats (n = 152), cattle (n = 4), and dogs (n = 3) from May to August of 2023. PCR products demonstrated that Anaplasma bovis , Anaplasma capra , and an Ehrlichia species were detected in the H. longicornis with the minimum infection rates (MIR) of 1.11%, 1.32%, and 0.05%, respectively; A. bovis , A. capra , and unnamed Anaplasma sp. were detected in goats with an infection rate of 26.31%, 1.31% and 1.97%, respectively. Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species were not detected from cattle, dogs and R. microplus ticks. The genetic differences in the gro EL gene sequences of the Anaplasma in the current study were large, whereas the 16S rRNA and glt A gene sequences were less disparate. This study shows that ticks and goats in Suizhou County, Hubei Province carry multiple Anaplasma species and an Ehrlichia species, with relatively higher infection rate of A. bovis in goats. Our study indicates that multiple Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species exist in ticks and goats in the central China with potential to cause human infection.