Transmission of 'Candidatus Anaplasma camelii' to mice and rabbits by camel-specific keds, Hippobosca camelina.

ABSTRACT: Anaplasmosis, caused by infection with bacteria of the genus Anaplasma, is an important veterinary and zoonotic disease. Transmission by ticks has been characterized but little is known about non-tick vectors of livestock anaplasmosis. This study investigated the presence of Anaplasma spp. in camels in northern Kenya and whether the hematophagous camel ked, Hippobosca camelina, acts as a vector. Camels (n = 976) and > 10,000 keds were sampled over a three-year study period and the presence of Anaplasma species was determined by PCR-based assays targeting the Anaplasmataceae 16S rRNA gene. Camels were infected by a single species of Anaplasma, 'Candidatus Anaplasma camelii', with infection rates ranging from 63-78% during the dry (September 2017), wet (June-July 2018), and late wet seasons

SUBMITTER: Bargul JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8389426 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature