title: Evidence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi infection in cats after exposure to wild-caught adult Ixodes scapularis.
abstract: Cats are infected by Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi when exposed to infected Ixodes scapularis (black-legged ticks). The purpose of our study was to allow wild-caught I. scapularis to feed on healthy research cats (n = 4) and temporally evaluate for A. phagocytophilum DNA in blood by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay as well as for antibody responses to the B. burgdorferi C6 peptide, to the A. phagocytophilum P44 peptide, and to a novel A. phagocytophilum peptide (P44-4). Prior to I. scapularis infestation, all cats were negative for antibodies against both organisms based on a kit optimized for dog serum, and negative for A. phagocytophilum DNA in blood using a conventional PCR assay. Using the pre-infestation samples, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting antibodies against the P44-4 peptide was optimized. Cats were infested with wild-caught I. scapularis for 7 days. Genomic DNA of A. phagocytophilum was amplified from the blood before antibodies were detected in all 4 cats. Antibodies against the C6 peptide, P44 peptide, and P44-4 peptide were detected in the sera of all 4 cats. Antibodies against P44-4 were detected prior to those against P44 in 3 out of 4 cats. The results suggest that a PCR assay should be considered in acutely ill cats with suspected anaplasmosis that are seronegative.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Lappin)IDEXX Laboratories Inc., Portland, ME (Chandrashekar, Stillman, Liu)Center for Vector-Borne Disease, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI (Mather) mlappin@colostate.edu.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Lappin
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Lappin)IDEXX Laboratories Inc., Portland, ME (Chandrashekar, Stillman, Liu)Center for Vector-Borne Disease, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI (Mather).
authors.forename: Ramaswamy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chandrashekar
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Lappin)IDEXX Laboratories Inc., Portland, ME (Chandrashekar, Stillman, Liu)Center for Vector-Borne Disease, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI (Mather).
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stillman
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Lappin)IDEXX Laboratories Inc., Portland, ME (Chandrashekar, Stillman, Liu)Center for Vector-Borne Disease, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI (Mather).
authors.forename: Jiayou
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Lappin)IDEXX Laboratories Inc., Portland, ME (Chandrashekar, Stillman, Liu)Center for Vector-Borne Disease, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI (Mather).
authors.forename: Thomas N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Mather
mesh_terms: D041081:Anaplasma phagocytophilum / Q000276:immunology*; D000712:Anaplasmosis / Q000382:microbiology; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000276:immunology*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D002415:Cats; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial
keywords: Anaplasma; Borrelia; cats; peptide; polymerase chain reaction