Investigation of Anaplasma phagocytophilum among agrarian residents and domestic animals in Anhui Province, China

A total of 596 blood samples from agrarian residents, and 132 from goats, 12 from dogs and six from cattle were collected from 3 rural Counties including Guangde, Mingguang and Huaiyuan in Anhui Province. The survey questions presumed exposure risk of Anaplasma phagocytophilum were recorded for each participant and statistically analyzed. The antibodies against A. phagocytophilum were determined using an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and the A. phagocytophilum 16S rRNA gene was amplified and analyzed for the DNAs of the blood samples of febrile participants and domestic animals using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The average percentage of A. phagocytophilum was 44.6% for human, 33.3% for dogs, 0.8% for goats and 0% for cattle, respectively. The positive rate of the 16S rRNA gene (389 bp) of A. phagocytophilum in dogs, goats and cattle was 25.0, 33.3 and 0%, respectively. Two genotypes of A. phagocytophilum were identified and group A was dominantly endemic in Huaiyuan County while group B was mainly located in Guangde County. Living Mountain regions, outdoor activities, contacting animals, fever history, more than 3 h of working per day and more than 2 years of servers might be increased at risk of exposure A. phagocytophilum in these areas of Anhui Province. Key words: A. phagocytophilum, seroepedemiology, prevalence, Anhui Province of China.