Özet:
Anaplasma species are obligate intracellular rickettsial pathogens that affect the health of humans and
other animals. Clinical cases of anaplasmosis caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum were evaluated, and
the frequency of bovine Anaplasma species was determined in cattle. Blood samples and thin blood
smears were collected from 10 cattle exhibiting clinical signs of tick-borne fever. In addition, blood
samples were collected from 123 apparently healthy cattle from the same area. DNA was screened by
reverse line blot assay for the presence of the hypervariable V1 region of the 16S rRNA gene of Anaplasma/
Ehrlichia species. Intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies of A. phagocytophilum were observed in neutrophils
of 6 sick animals. Parasitemia ranged from 0.2 to 1.6% in individual slides. Reverse line blot showed 45.1%
(60/133) of the sampled cattle to be positive for one or more of
five Anaplasma species. The frequency of
single infections was 20.3% (27/133), while mixed infections were found in 24.8% (33/133) of samples
with six different combinations of species and a maximum of four pathogens detected. A.
phagocytophilum was the most prevalent (41/133, 30.8%) followed by Anaplasma marginale (25/133,
18.8%), Anaplasma centrale (24/133, 18%), Ehrlichia sp. strain Omatjenne (18/133, 13.5%) and Anaplasma
bovis (1/133, 0.7%). This is the
first report of A. bovis in a cow from Turkey. This is also the
first report of
clinical cases caused by A. phagocytophilum in cattle from the country. Therefore, A. phagocytophilum
should be taken into account as differential diagnosis in cases of high fever and anorexia in pastured
animals.
