Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species prevalent in ticks and livestock in Hubei Province, China

Abstract

Background: Anaplasmaand Ehrlichia are tick-borne bacterial pathogens that cause anaplasmoses and ehrlicoses in humans and animals. Methods: In this study, we examined the prevalence of Anaplasmaand Ehrlichia species in ticks and livestock in Suizhou County, Hubei Province in the central China. Results: We collected 1,900 ticks, including 1,981 Haemaphysalis longicornis and 9 Rhipicephalus microplus, 159 blood samples of goats, cattle (n=4), and dogs (n=3) from May to September of 2023. PCR amplification and DNA sequencing of the 16S rRNA, groEL, and gltA genes of the PCR products demonstrated that A. bovis, A. capra, and an uncultured Ehrlichia species were detected in the ticks with the minimum infection rates of 0.52%, 1.16%, and 0.05%, respectively; A. bovis, A. capra, and a novel Anaplasma species were detected in the goats with the minimum infection rate of 25.65%, 0.66% and 1.97%, respectively. Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species were not detected from cattle and dogs. Conclusions: This study shows that ticks and goats in Hubei Province carry multiple Anaplasma species and an Ehrlichia species, with extremely high 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.