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Anaplasmosis is a disease caused by a rickettsial parasite of ruminants, Anaplasma spp and is therefore related to rickettsial disease. Anaplasmosis is an infectious but not contagious disease. Anaplasmosis can be transmitted through mechanical and biological vector processes. Anaplasmois can also be referred to as, "yellow bag" or "yellow fever" because the infected animal can develop a jaundiced look. Other signs of infection include, but are not limited to: weight loss, diarrhea, paleness of the skin, aggressive behavior, high fever. There are many different tick species that can carry the bacteria able to cause anaplasmosis, but the two major species include Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The microorganisms that cause anaplasmosis are Gram-negative, and infect red blood cells. Once the host is infected with anaplasmosis, the immune system will try to fight off and kill the infected red blood cells, but will also kill healthy red blood cells as well. While there are no current live or killed vaccines effective for all strains of A. marginale approved by the USDA for anaplasmosis, there are other means of prevention. Tick and fly control for herd of ruminants can be effective but also labor intensive. Chemical methods can also be used, including sanitizing surgical equipment after each use. Tetracycline drugs are the most common treatment for anaplasmosis, and can provide the animal with immunity for a period of time. The disease is more common in the South and West parts of the United States, but is no longer considered a major problem since the use of tetracycline drugs.

Transmission[edit]

Mechanical and biological vector transmission work in different ways but both lead to infection of the red blood cells. Mechanical transmission happens in two ways, one when red blood cells are inoculated with the blood parasite through surgical equipment including needles, dehorners, ear taggers, castrating knives, and tattoo instruments. Another mechanical transmission mode is through the mouthparts of biting flies who carry a species of parasite that can cause anaplasmosis.

Biological vector transmission is through ticks that carry a blood parasite able to cause anaplasmosis. The most common tick that carries the bacterium is Ixodes scapularis, also known as the black-legged tick or the deer tick. Ticks who contain species of many different Anaplasma species can transmit this disease through a bite. The blood parasite survives and can multiply in the tick, and can sit dormant for months without being transmitted to an animal. When bitten by a tick carrying a blood parasite, the blood parasite can then enter the new host and cause infection. Once infected with a species of Anaplasma, the parasite multiplies in the blood stream and attaches to red blood cells. The immune system will attempt to kill the infected blood cells but will also kill uninfected red blood cells in the process. The number of red blood cells being destroyed becomes larger than new red blood cells being made, causing the host to become anemic and leads to many other symptoms. Once infected with anaplasmosis, the cattle will always be a carrier of the infectious disease, and calves born from carriers will also carry the disease.

Signs and Symptoms

Classic signs and symptoms of anaplasmosis will not occur until 3-6 weeks after infection. The most common symptoms include fever, a decreased number of white blood cells, platelets in the bloodstream, and abnormally elevated levels of liver enzymes. The erythema chronicum migrans rash may be seen with anaplasmosis as it is co-transmitted in 10% of Lyme disease cases.

Anemia may be severe and result in cardiovascular changes such as an increase in heart rate. Blood in the urine may occur due to the lysis of red blood cells. General systemic signs such as diarrhea, anorexia, and weight loss may also be present. Many infected ruminants will develop a jaundiced look which then turns to paleness around the eyes, muzzle, lips, and teats of the cattle.

All cattle are susceptible to infection by Anaplasma marginale, but the severity worsens with age increase. Older cattle tend to exhibit the most severe clinical symptoms, which cattle aged 1-3 may also show severe symptoms but are able to recover easier.

Causes

The two major species that cause Anaplasmosis in ruminants include Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Anaplasma marginale is found worldwide and is transmitted by Rhipicephalus ticks. Anaplasma phagocytophilum is also found worldwide, mainly transmitted by Ixodes ticks. Other species that cause Anaplasmosis in specific species include:

• Cattle:
  • Anaplasma centrale - found mainly in South America, Africa and the Middle East
• Sheep and goats:
  • Anaplasma ovis - found worldwide. There is a prevalence of 82.9% in sheep, and 74.9% in goats. This species is the most prevalent for causing Anaplasmosis in sheep and goats, although Anaplasma phagocytophilium can also cause the disease. Anaplasma phagocytophilium has a prevalence of 11.9% in sheep, and 15.2% in goats.

Morphology

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a gram-negative bacterium that does not have lipopolysaccharides or peptidoglycan. The outer membrane does not have a capsule, and is coarse with irregular periplasmic spaces. This species was originally included in the genus Ehrlichia (Ehrlichia phagocytophilium), but is now included in the genus Anaplasma (Anaplasma phagocytophilium).

There are many strains of Anaplasma marginale, all with differing morphology, antigenic properties, protein sequence, and their ability to be transmitted by ticks. Major surface proteins (MSP) have been found to play a major role in the infection by Anaplasma marginale. Out of the six MSP found on this species, three of the major surface proteins do not seem to differ between all strains, those including MSP1a, MSP4, and MSP5. msp1a gene, which codes for MSP1a is used as a marker for the identification of Anaplasma marginale because it has shown to be conserved in the multiplication of rickettsia in cattle and ticks and has been shown to be involved in adhesion of to bovine erythrocytes and tick cells.

Prevention

There are currently no live or killed vaccines approved by the USDA that is effective against all strains of A. marginale. There are vaccines that rely on erythrocyte-derived antigen sources to provide immunity or prevent clinical disease, although these do not prevent cattle from being infected with A. marginale. Other means of prevention can include testing all ruminants in a herd and eliminate any individuals who test positive for anaplasmosis, leading to an anaplasmosis-free herd. There are also means of vector control that can be used. Tick control is widely used in some countries, including Africa, but rarely used in the United States due to the fact that this prevention method is labor-intensive and expensive. In contrast, the control of flies is effective and there are many ways to do this. Chemical agents can be used, sanitation methods (such as cleaning stalls/pens regularly, manure management, and protecting feed), as well as biological control by natural enemies of flies (including bees, mites, parasitoids). There are also ways to prevent iatrogenic transmission, by avoiding re-using of needles, and sanitizing medical equipment between uses. Antimicrobial treatment can also be used, although it is more commonly used in the case of active infection. This includes the drugs tetracycline and imidocarb, and is used in healthy ruminants to decrease the clinical effects of an active infection.

Treatment

The most common source of treatment is the use of tetracycline drugs (including tetracycline, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, rolitetracycline, doxycycline, and minocycline) and imidocarb. An injection of tetracycline drugs can give ruminants immunity to Anaplasma species for at least eight months. Imidocarb has been shown to be highly effective against Anaplasma marginale, but has been identified as a possible carcinogen and is not approved in the United States or Europe. Countries such as South Africa, Australia, Isreal, and South America have used live vaccines containing infectious Anaplasma centrale to prevent infection of Anaplasma marginale. Live vaccines are prohibited in the United States, and there has been production of vaccines comprised of nonliving Anaplasma marginale pulled from infected bovine erythrocytes, which can provide some immunity but leaves cattle susceptible to other strains of Anaplasma marginale. Supportive therapy such as blood products and fluids may be necessary.