The absence of the drhm gene is not a marker for human-pathogenicity in European Anaplasma phagocytophilum strains.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium that replicates in neutrophil granulocytes. It is transmitted by ticks of the Ixodes ricinus complex and causes febrile illness in humans and animals. The geographical distribution of A. phagocytophilum spans the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. However, human disease predominantly occurs in North America but is infrequently reported from Europe and Asia. In North American strains, the absence of the drhm gene has been proposed as marker for pathogenicity in humans whereas no information on the presence or absence of the drhm gene was available for A. phagocytophilum strains circulating in Europe. Therefore, we tested 511 European and 21 North American strains for the presence of drhm and com

SUBMITTER: Langenwalder DB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7206706 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature