Anaplasma phagocytophilum Transmission Activates Immune Pathways While Repressing Wound Healing in the Skin.

ABSTRACT: Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the causative agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), is an obligate intracellular bacterium transmitted by the bite of black-legged ticks, Ixodes scapularis. The main host cells in vertebrates are neutrophils. However, the first site of entry is in the skin during tick feeding. Given that the initial responses within skin are a crucial determinant of disease outcome in vector-borne diseases, we used a non-biased approach to characterize the transcriptional changes that take place at the bite during I. scapularis feeding and A. phagocytophilum transmission. Experimentally infected ticks were allowed to feed for 3 days on C57BL/6J mice to allow bacterial transmission and establishment. Skin biopsies were taken from the attachmen

SUBMITTER: Underwood J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9781593 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature