A-Z Index × Submit A-Z Index × Submit A-Z Index Search Dropdown × Submit Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate Emerging Infectious Disease journal ISSN: 1080-6059 Disclaimer: Early release articles are not considered as final versions. Any changes will be reflected in the online version in the month the article is officially released.
Anaplasma capra is a recently discovered bacterial tickborne pathogen that was first identified in goats in 2012 and later in humans in China in 2015. We detected and genetically characterized A. capra in adult patients with suspected Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Turkey during the 2022 outbreak. We screened all patients for A. capra by using nested PCR targeting the gltA and groEL genes. We confirmed CCHF by molecular and serological tests. Of 263 patients, 6 (2.28%) were positive for A. capra . Sequence analysis revealed 84.16%–100% gltA gene similarity and 90.24%–100% groEL gene similarity with GenBank entries. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed all A. capra gene sequences belonged to genotype 1. Our results demonstrate clinical evidence of genotype 1 A. capra infection in humans. Our findings highlight the need for clinicians to consider A. capra in the differential diagnosis of CCHF-like symptoms, especially in endemic areas.
Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites of the subclass Acari, comprising ≈900 species worldwide. Ticks act as vectors for >200 human and animal pathogens, including bacteria such as the rickettsiae and viruses ( 1 ). The incidence and effect of tickborne diseases have risen globally because of environmental and weather changes ( 2 ). Tickborne infections impose a substantial global burden, with hundreds of thousands of human cases reported annually; Lyme disease alone is estimated to cause ≈450,000 cases each year in the United States ( 3 , 4 ). Turkey, situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, is epidemiologically critical for zoonotic infections, with 107 zoonoses reported and 21 classified as high priority by European health authorities ( 5 , 6 ). In Turkey, ticks serve as major vectors for various zoonotic diseases, including anaplasmosis and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) ( 5 – 7 ).
Currently, CCHF is the most prevalent tickborne viral disease in humans and is endemic in parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and southeastern Europe. Turkey has reported the highest number of CCHF cases globally ( 8 – 10 ). The first CCHF cases were documented in 2002 in the Middle Anatolia–Black Sea region, a hyperendemic area for the disease, and ≈1,000 cases have been reported annually since ( 10 , 11 ). The causative agent, CCHF virus (CCHFV), a member of the Nairoviridae family within the Bunyavirales order, is primarily transmitted by Hyalomma marginatum ticks. No licensed vaccine or effective antiviral treatment is available for CCHF ( 12 ). The disease typically manifests nonspecific symptoms such as fever, fatigue, myalgia, and gastrointestinal complaints but can progress to severe hemorrhagic manifestations. Case-fatality rates (CFRs) vary geographically, reaching up to 30% in some regions; in Turkey, the CFR is ≈5% ( 12 , 13 ).
Anaplasmosis, caused by Anaplasma marginale , A. centrale , A. phagocytophilum , A. bovis , A. ovis , and A. platys bacteria, is one of the consequential tickborne zoonotic bacterial infections and is transmitted to vertebrate hosts mainly by Ixodid species ticks. A. phagocytophilum is the etiologic agent of anaplasmosis in humans, do…