title: Wild animals as reservoirs of Anaplasma phagocytophilum for humans
abstract: Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-transmitted obligate-intracellular gram-negative bacteria that causes emerging human zoonosis. A. phagocytophilum is transmitted by Ixodid ticks. Recent studies suggest that wild animals may be reservoirs of A. phagocytophilum for humans. The organism infects and survives within neutrophils. The infection diagnosis is based on the detection of morulae within granulocytes of peripheral  blood, results of serological tests and detection of the DNA of A. phagocytophilum using specific polymerase chain reaction assays (PCR). A. phagocytophilum in most cases is transmitted to people by tick bites, but sometimes direct contact with infected blood may cause human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA). The possibility of infection should be taken into consideration at each occurrence of heavy disease symptoms after people come into contact with ticks.
authors.affiliation: University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Epizootiology and Clinic of Infectious Diseases
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dzięgiel
authors.affiliation: University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Epizootiology and Clinic of Infectious Diseases
authors.forename: Łukasz
authors.initials: Ł
authors.lastname: Adaszek
authors.affiliation: University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Epizootiology and Clinic of Infectious Diseases
authors.forename: Stanisław
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Winiarczyk
mesh_terms: D041081:Anaplasma phagocytophilum; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000382:microbiology*; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D017282:Tick-Borne Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*