ANAPLASMOSIS

(Gall Sickness)
Dr. Arslan Ahmed
 Introduction
• Traditionally a disease of ruminants with prevalence all over
the world and incidence altered by the load of vectors
• Ticks and flies act as mechanical as well as biological vector
• Affects the mature erythrocytes but hemoglobinuria is not
usually evident
• Adult animals are more severely affected than yearlings
• Life long immunity and carrier stage in animals that survive
clinical disease
 ETIOLOGY
• G-ve, obligate intra-erythrocytic bacteria of order
Rickettsiales, family Anaplasmataceae,
genus Anaplasma
• Genus anaplasma have a number of pathogens
i. Anaplasma marginale
ii. Anaplasma centrale
iii. Anaplasma bovis
iv. Anaplasma ovis
v. Anaplasma phagocytophilum
vi. Anaplasma platys
 Causative Agent Host Range Disease
Anaplasma Cattle, buffalo, and Bovine anaplasmosis
marginale wild ruminants
Anaplasma centrale Mild disease in cattle Bovine anaplasmosis
Anaplasma bovis Cattle Bovine anaplasmosis
Anaplasma ovis Sheep and goats Bovine anaplasmosis
Anaplasma Equine, wild cattle, Human and animal
phagocytophilum humans and pet granulocyctic
animals anaplasmosis
Anaplasma platys Cat and dog Canine cyclic
thromocytopenia
 Epidemiology
• Disease is common and worldwide with
presence in all six continents
• Incidence and prevalence is affected by the
reservoir hosts and disease transmitting
vectors within a country
• Endemic in tropical and subtropical countries
 Risk Factors
• Breed; Bos indicus, Bos taurus have equal
susceptibility to infection and but under field
conditions B. indicus are not as commonly affected.
• Season; seasonal occurrence with increased vector
load in summer and spring.
• Age; all the ages are susceptible but clinically less
severe disease in calves (<6M)
 Transmission
“Source of infection is always the blood of an
infected animal”
• Hematophagous transmission from animal to
animal occurs through insect vectors including
ticks (>20 species) and biting flies
• Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) spp. are most
important ticks of family Ixodidae while flies
of family Tabanidae
• Intrastadial transmission in ticks make it an
important mechanical vector
• Itrogenic transmission by following instruments
1) Hypodermic needles
2) Dehorning
3) Castration
4) Tagging
5) Tattooing
6) Blood transfusion
7) Embryo transfer
• Transplacental transmission
 Pathogenesis

Infect mature Erythrocytes

Survivors
Clinical signs at
become Clinical diseases
≥15%
reservoir host
 Clinical Findings
Per-Acute; involves cattle over three years old
with 1st time infection
• Frequently fatal
• Pyrexia
• Anemia and pale mucus membranes (icterus)
• Hypersalivation and dyspnea
• Hyperexcitability and tend to attack
• Pregnant animals may abort
Acute; most common present between 1-3 years of age
• Pyrexia (≤105℉)
• Anemia, weakness and loss of milk yield
• Depression, inappetence, dehydration and laboured
breathing
• Jaundice or abortion in some cattle
• Temporary loss of fertility in Bulls
Mild; present in calves ≤1 year of age.
• Mild pyrexia with very few signs
 Post-mortem Findings
• Emaciated carcass, pale tissue
and thin watery blood
• Congested kidney, enlarged
liver and spleen
• Oedematous lymph nodes
• Petechial hemorrhage in
epicardium and pericardium
 Diagnosis
• History
• Clinical signs
• Post mortem lesions
• Microscopic; If anaplasmosis is
suspected, a blood smear should be
taken from the tip of either the ear or
the tail of the sick animals
• Hematological changes; Decrease
erythrocyte count, hematocrit and
hemoglobin concentration
 Serological tests
• Complement fixation (CF) test
• Capillary agglutination assay
• Card agglutination test (CAT)
• Indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test
• Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays
(ELISA)
Molecular Test
• Nucleic-acid-based tests (PCR)
 Treatment
• Tetracycline (tetracycline, chlortetracycline,
oxytetracycline, rolitetracycline, doxycycline,
minocycline)
• Oxytetracycline 30 mg/kg IM
• Imidocarb is also highly efficacious against A.
marginale as a single injection
• Dihydrochloride salt at 1.5 mg/kg SC orimidocarb
dipropionate at 3 mg/kg
 Control and prevention
• Maintenance of Anaplasma-free herds through
import and movement control, testing, and
elimination of carrier cattle
• Vector control
• Prevention of iatrogenic transmission
• Administration of antibiotics (Prophylactic
use)