ANAPLAMOSIS

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Causative Agent(s)

Clinical bovine anaplasmosis is usually caused by Anaplasma marginale, A. caudatum and A. centrale. Anaplasma ovis cause mild to severe disease in sheep, deer, and goats.

Clinical Presentation and Epidemiology

Fertility is impaired, pregnant cows abort and there is no haemoglobinuria. In most cases, the disease is subacute, especially in young animals. Per acute cases with sudden fever, anaemia, jaundice, severe dyspnoea, and death often occur within 24 hours are not uncommon in adult dairy cow. Calves are somehow resistant. In sheep and goats, infection is usually subclinical but, in some cases, particularly in goats, a severe anaemia may occur and a clinical picture similar to that found in cattle may be seen. Severe reactions of this type in goats are most frequent when the animals are suffering from concurrent disease. Goats may show hyperexcitability and may bite at inanimate objects.

Diagnostic Considerations

Demonstration of the organisms in erythrocytes.

Serological methods of diagnosis include rapid card agglutination, capillary tube agglutination, complement fixation, direct and indirect fluorescent antibody tests. The standard serologic test for diagnosis of anaplasmosis is the indirect immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) assay for immunoglobulin G (IgG) using A. IgG IFA assays should be performed on paired acute and convalescent serum samples collected 2–4 weeks apart to demonstrate evidence of a fourfold seroconversion

Management and Treatment

• the drug of choice is doxycycline: 5–10 mg/kg/day, PO or IV, for 10–21 days Blood transfusion may be indicated