Background and Aim: Members of genus Anaplasma are of veterinary and public health importance. These agents utilize ruminants, including goats, as key hosts in their epidemiology. To date, information about the occurrence and molecular identity of Anaplasma species in Saudi Arabian goats is scarce. The aim of this study was to molecularly detect and characterize zoonotic Anaplasma phagocytophilum and other Anaplasma spp. in goats from Taif District, KSA.
Materials and Methods: Blood samples collected from 67 goats were PCR tested using common and A. phagocytophilum-specific primers targeting 16srRNA and msp4 genes, respectively. Amplicons of common reactions were purified, sequenced and analyzed.
Results: Six goats yielded positive results with common primers while all animals proved negative for A. phagocytophilum. Analysis of the two successfully sequenced amplicons revealed presence of a variant strain of A. ovis (99.52% ID) and a new Anaplasma organism, which was clustered with A. bovis (95.9% ID) and Aegyptianella pullorum (94.99% ID) and distinctly separated from all other recognized species of genus Anaplasma.
Conclusions: The negative detection of zoonotic A. phagocytophilum did not confirm that the area is free of the pathogen; on the other hand, reporting of A. ovis variant strain raised the concern of animal and human disease. Sequence analysis and phylogeny of the newly detected organism suggest the occurrence of a putative novel species or even a new genus; however, we cannot confirm this statement unless other multiple genes are sequenced and analyzed. We also cannot confirm that this Anaplasma can cause disease in animals or humans; however the veterinary and zoonotic potential of this organism should be considered.
Key words: Anaplasma ovis, A. phagocytophilum, Goats, Novel Anaplasma species, phylogeny, Saudi Arabia.
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