Co-infection of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia in Hedgehogs from China.

Abstract

Hedgehogs ( Erinaceus amurensis ) is an insectivorous mammal frequently observed in the wild and around the residential areas. However, information about tick-borne diseases in this species is not well known. We investigated tick-borne rickettsial pathogens including Anaplasma , Ehrlichia, Candidatus . Neoehrlichia and Rickettsia in hedgehogs collected in central China. Hedgehogs were captured from Hubei and Jiangxi Province with living traps. PCR amplification and DNA sequencing showed that 26% (19/73) hedgehogs were positive to Anaplasma bovis, 20.5% (15/73) were positive to a tentative new Ehrlichia species; in addition, 13.7% (10/73) hedgehogs were positive to A. bovis and Ehrlichia simultaneously. Ca . Neoehrlichia and Rickettsia species was not detected among the 73 hedgehogs. We concluded that hedgehogs from central China were widely infected with Anaplasma and Ehrlichia , suggesting hedgehogs may play a role in the ecology of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia .