A case of equine granulocytic ehrlichiosis provides molecular evidence for the presence of pathogenic anaplasma phagocytophilum (HGE agent) in Germany.

The research article discusses the first identified case of equine granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Germany, indicating that the pathogenic agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum is present in the country despite the lack of detected human cases.

Introduction

• The study is centered on the investigation of a disease called human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE), a tick-borne illness that was suspected but not previously documented in Germany.
• The researchers examined a case of granulocytic ehrlichiosis in a German horse, marking this the first recorded instance of the disease in animals within the country.

Methods

• The team analyzed three different genes (16S rRNA gene, groESL, and ankA) from the ehrlichia bacteria found in the sick horse.
• The genetic sequences obtained were compared to known strains of bacteria associated with HGE in other countries and from infected ticks within Germany.

Results

• The findings showed that the ehrlichia sequences derived from the German horse shared up to 100% identity with strains found in HGE patients abroad and in ticks from Germany.
• This result underlines that the particular strains of ehrlichia which can cause HGE are present in Germany.

Conclusions

• Despite no previous reports of clinical cases of HGE in humans in Germany, this study provides molecular evidence that the pathogenic bacteria Anaplasma phagocytophilum (HGE agent) exists in Germany.
• Therefore, the absence of clinical HGE cases in humans in Germany does not appear to be due to the lack of the pathogenic strains of ehrlichia in German ticks.