title: Prevalence of human-active and variant 1 strains of the tick-borne pathogen Anaplasma phagocytophilum in hosts and forests of eastern North America.
abstract: Anaplasmosis is an emerging infectious disease caused by infection with the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In the eastern United States, A. phagocytophilum is transmitted to hosts through the bite of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis. We determined the realized reservoir competence of 14 species of common vertebrate hosts for ticks by establishing the probability that each species transmits two important strains of A. phagocytophilum (A. phagocytophilum human-active, which causes human cases, and A. phagocytophilum variant 1, which does not) to feeding larval ticks. We also sampled questing nymphal ticks from ∼ 150 sites in a single county over 2 years and sampled over 6 years at one location. White-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) and Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) were the most competent reservoirs for infection with the A. phagocytophilum human-active strain. Across the county, prevalence in ticks for both strains together was 8.3%; ticks were more than two times as likely to be infected with A. phagocytophilum human-active as A. phagocytophilum variant 1.
authors.affiliation: Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York; Washington State University, Pullman, Washington; New York University, New York, New York; Union College, Schenectady, New York; Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York keesing@bard.edu.
authors.forename: Felicia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Keesing
authors.affiliation: Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York; Washington State University, Pullman, Washington; New York University, New York, New York; Union College, Schenectady, New York; Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York.
authors.forename: Diana J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: McHenry
authors.affiliation: Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York; Washington State University, Pullman, Washington; New York University, New York, New York; Union College, Schenectady, New York; Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hersh
authors.affiliation: Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York; Washington State University, Pullman, Washington; New York University, New York, New York; Union College, Schenectady, New York; Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tibbetts
authors.affiliation: Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York; Washington State University, Pullman, Washington; New York University, New York, New York; Union College, Schenectady, New York; Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York.
authors.forename: Jesse L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Brunner
authors.affiliation: Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York; Washington State University, Pullman, Washington; New York University, New York, New York; Union College, Schenectady, New York; Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Killilea
authors.affiliation: Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York; Washington State University, Pullman, Washington; New York University, New York, New York; Union College, Schenectady, New York; Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: LoGiudice
authors.affiliation: Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York; Washington State University, Pullman, Washington; New York University, New York, New York; Union College, Schenectady, New York; Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York.
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York; Washington State University, Pullman, Washington; New York University, New York, New York; Union College, Schenectady, New York; Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York.
authors.forename: Richard S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Ostfeld
mesh_terms: D041081:Anaplasma phagocytophilum / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D000712:Anaplasmosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D000818:Animals; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D006801:Humans; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology; D007814:Larva / Q000382:microbiology; D009656:North America / Q000453:epidemiology; D009758:Nymph / Q000382:microbiology; D010542:Peromyscus / Q000469:parasitology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012376:Rodent Diseases; D012377:Rodentia; D012589:Sciuridae / Q000469:parasitology*; D014197:Trees
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; C488283:msp2 protein, Anaplasma phagocytophilum