Host-pathogen associations revealed by genotyping of European strains of Anaplasma phagocytophilum to describe natural endemic cycles.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The zoonotic intracellular alpha-proteobacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-transmitted pathogen. The associations between vertebrate reservoirs and vectors are described as wide-ranging, and it was previously shown that the pathogenicity of A. phagocytophilum differs depending on the combination of pathogen variant and infected host species. This leads to the question of whether there are variations in particular gene loci associated with different virulence. Therefore, this study aims at clarifying existing host-variant combinations and detecting possible reservoir hosts. To understand these interactions, a complex toolset for molecular epidemiology, phylogeny and network theory was applied.

Methods

Sequences of up to four gene loci (msp4, msp2, groEL a

SUBMITTER: Frohlich J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10433637 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature