A case of equine granulocytic ehrlichiosis provides molecular evidence for the presence of pathogenic Anaplasma phagocytophilum (HGE agent) in Germany

Based on seroprevalence studies and tick infection rates, tick-borne human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) is thought to occur in Germany, but to date no clinical case has been detected. Reported here are the first ehrlichial sequences derived from a German horse that fell ill with granulocytic ehrl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases 2003-05, Vol.22 (5), p.303-305
Main Authors: VON LOEWENICH, F. D, STUMPF, G, BAUMGARTEN, B. U, RÖLLINGHOFF, M, DUMLER, J. S, BOGDAN, C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anaplasma phagocytophilum
Anaplasma phagocytophilum - genetics
Anaplasma phagocytophilum - pathogenicity
Animals
Bacterial diseases
Base Sequence
Biological and medical sciences
Ehrlichia - genetics
Ehrlichia - isolation & purification
Ehrlichiosis - diagnosis
Ehrlichiosis - epidemiology
Ehrlichiosis - veterinary
Germany - epidemiology
Granulocytes - microbiology
Horse Diseases - diagnosis
Horse Diseases - epidemiology
Horses
Human bacterial diseases
Incidence
Infectious diseases
Ixodes - microbiology
Ixodidae
Medical sciences
Molecular Biology
Molecular Sequence Data
Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods
Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary
Retrospective Studies
Rickettsial diseases
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics
Sampling Studies
Sensitivity and Specificity
Tropical bacterial diseases
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Summary:Based on seroprevalence studies and tick infection rates, tick-borne human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) is thought to occur in Germany, but to date no clinical case has been detected. Reported here are the first ehrlichial sequences derived from a German horse that fell ill with granulocytic ehrlichiosis. The analysis of three different genes (16S rRNA gene, groESL, and ankA) revealed up to 100% identity with ehrlichial sequences derived from patients with HGE in other countries or from infected ticks in Germany. Thus, the current lack of clinical cases of HGE in Germany is unlikely to result from the absence of pathogenic granulocytic ehrlichiae strains in German ticks.
ISSN:0934-9723
1435-4373
DOI:10.1007/s10096-003-0935-1