scholarly journals Antimicrobial Susceptibility ofEhrlichia phagocytophila

2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 786-788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold W. Horowitz ◽  
T.-C. Hsieh ◽  
Maria E. Aguero-Rosenfeld ◽  
Fatemeh Kalantarpour ◽  
Ishraq Chowdhury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Culture System ◽  
Minimum Bactericidal Concentration ◽  
New York State ◽  
Cell Culture System ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Ehrlichia Phagocytophila ◽  
Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Quinolone Antibiotics

ABSTRACT Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis is a recently described disease caused by an obligate intracellular gram-negative organism recently named Ehrlichia phagocytophila. To expand our knowledge of the susceptibility of E. phagocytophila, we tested six New York State isolates for susceptibility to 12 antimicrobials using an HL-60 cell culture system. All of the isolates were susceptible to doxycycline (MIC, ≤0.125 μg/ml; minimum bactericidal concentration [MBC], 0.125 to 0.5 μg/ml), rifampin (MIC, ≤0.125 μg/ml; MBC, ≤0.125 μg/ml), ofloxacin (MIC, ≤2 μg/ml; MBC, ≤2 μg/ml), levofloxacin (MIC, ≤1 μg/ml; MBC, ≤1 μg/ml), and trovafloxacin (MIC, ≤0.032 μg/ml; MBC, ≤0.032 μg/ml). Isolates were uniformly resistant to amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, and amikacin. For one strain, the MBC of chloramphenicol was ≤8 μg/ml. These data suggest that quinolone antibiotics and rifampin may be alternative agents for patients with intolerance to tetracyclines.

scholarly journals Geographic Risk for Lyme Disease and Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis in Southern New York State

1998 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 4663-4669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Daniels ◽  
Theresa M. Boccia ◽  
Shobha Varde ◽  
Jonathan Marcus ◽  
Jianhua Le ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Risk Index ◽  
New York State ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
York State ◽  
Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Pathogen Surveillance

ABSTRACT Ixodes scapularis, the tick vector of Lyme disease and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE), is prevalent in much of southern New York state. The distribution of this species has increased, as have reported cases of both Lyme disease and HGE. The unreliability of case reports, however, demonstrates the need for tick and pathogen surveillance in order to accurately define areas of high risk. In this study, a total of 89,550 m2 at 34 study sites was drag sampled in 1995 and a total of 51,540 m2 at 40 sites was sampled in 1996 to determine tick and pathogen distribution in southern New York state. I. scapularis was collected from 90% of the sites sampled, and regionally, a 2.5-fold increase in nymphal abundance occurred from 1995 to 1996. I. scapularisindividuals from all sites were infected with Borrelia burgdorferi in 1995, while an examination of ticks for bothB. burgdorferi and the agent of HGE in 1996 confirmed that these organisms were present in all counties; the average coinfection rate was 1.9%. No correlation was found between estimated risk and reported cases of Lyme disease. The geographic disparity of risk observed among sites in this study underscores the need for vector and pathogen surveillance on a regional level. An entomologic risk index can help identify sites for targeted tick control efforts.

scholarly journals Sequence Analysis of the ank Gene of Granulocytic Ehrlichiae

2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 2917-2922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F. Massung ◽  
Jessica H. Owens ◽  
David Ross ◽  
Kurt D. Reed ◽  
Miroslav Petrovec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
North American ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Molecular Size ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Ehrlichia Phagocytophila ◽  
The North ◽  
Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
High Level

The ank gene of the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) codes for a protein with a predicted molecular size of 131.2 kDa that is recognized by serum from both dogs and humans infected with granulocytic ehrlichiae. As part of an effort to assess the phylogenetic relatedness of granulocytic ehrlichiae from different geographic regions and in different host species, the ankgene was PCR amplified and sequenced from a variety of sources. These included 10 blood specimens from patients with confirmed human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (three from New York, four from Wisconsin, two from Slovenia, and one from Sweden). Also examined was a canine granulocytic ehrlichia sample obtained from Minnesota, Ehrlichia equi from California, Ehrlichia phagocytophila from Sweden, and the granulocytic ehrlichia isolate USG3. The sequences showed a high level of homology (>95.5% identity), with the lowest homology occurring between a New York HGE agent and the SwedishE. phagocytophila. Several 3-bp deletions and a variable number of 51- and 81-bp direct repeats were noted. Although the North American HGE sequences showed the highest conservation (>98.1% identity), phylogenetic analyses indicated that these samples represent two separate clades, one including the three New York HGE samples and the USG3 strain and another with the Wisconsin HGE and Minnesota canine sequences. Two of the New York samples and the USG3 strain showed 100% identity over the entire 3,696-bp product. Likewise, three of the Wisconsin human samples and the Minnesota dog sample were identical (3,693 bp). Whereas phylogenetic analysis showed that the E. equi sequence was most closely related to the Upper Midwest samples, analysis of the repeat structures showed it to be more similar to the European samples. Overall, the genetic analysis based on theank gene showed that the granulocytic ehrlichiae are closely related, appear to infect multiple species, and can be grouped into at least three different clades, two North American and one European.

scholarly journals Detection of Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis Agent and Borrelia Burgdorferi in Ticks by Polymerase Chain Reaction

1998 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yung-Fu Chang ◽  
Vesna Novosel ◽  
Chao-Fu Chang ◽  
Jong Bae Kim ◽  
Sang J. Shin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Etiologic Agent ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Adult ixodid ticks were collected from Westchester County, New York, and Ipswich, Massachusetts, to determine the presence of infection with a human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) agent by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The presence of Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks collected from New York was also determined by PCR. Of the 229 ticks from New York and 47 ticks from Massachusetts, 9% (22/229) and 25% (12/47) of ticks contained HGE agent, respectively. Fifty-four percent (123/229) of the ticks collected from New York were B. burgdorferi positive; 4% (9/229) of these ticks contained both HGE agent and B. burgdorferi. This finding indicates that animals with Lyme borreliosis may be also exposed to the etiologic agent of HGE. More extensive laboratory diagnosis may be necessary when multiple tick-borne diseases are suspected in animals.

scholarly journals Antibiotic Susceptibilities of Anaplasma (Ehrlichia) phagocytophilum Strains from Various Geographic Areas in the United States

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 413-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Maurin ◽  
Johan S. Bakken ◽  
J. Stephen Dumler
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
New York ◽  
Anaplasma Phagocytophilum ◽  
The United States ◽  
Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Antibiotic Susceptibilities ◽  
Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis

ABSTRACT We tested the antibiotic susceptibilities of eight strains of Anaplasma phagocytophilum (the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis) collected in various geographic areas of the United States, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, California, and New York. The results are homogeneous and show that doxycycline, rifampin, and levofloxacin are the most active antibiotics against these strains in vitro.

scholarly journals Serologic Evidence of Infection with Ehrlichia spp. in Wild Rodents (Muridae: Sigmodontinae) in the United States

1998 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 695-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
William L. Nicholson ◽  
Susie Muir ◽  
John W. Sumner ◽  
James E. Childs
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
The United States ◽  
Immunofluorescence Assay ◽  
Wild Rodents ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Serologic Evidence ◽  
Endpoint Titer

Rodent (Muridae: Sigmodontinae) blood and sera collected from 14 states were tested for seroreactivity to a cultured isolate of the human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) agent by using an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Of the 1,240 samples tested, 136 (11%) were found to be reactive at titers of ≥32. Rodents with HGE agent-specific antibodies were found in New York (23% of 491 samples; geometric mean endpoint titer [GMT] = 441), Connecticut (11% of 100 samples; GMT = 481), California (9% of 32 samples; GMT = 323), Colorado (2% of 212 samples; GMT = 256), Florida (7% of 27 samples; GMT = 362), Maryland (7% of 15 samples; titer = 64), New Jersey (4% of 76 samples; titer = 256), and Wisconsin (13% of 8 samples; titer = 128). Samples from Georgia (n = 16), Illinois (n = 27), Nevada (n = 27), North Carolina (n = 52), Ohio (n = 57), and Utah (n = 100) were not reactive. The earliest seroreactive sample was from aPeromyscus leucopus mouse collected in June 1986 in Connecticut, and the majority of the seroreactive samples (68%) were from this species. Samples from other Peromyscus species (P. boylii, P. maniculatus, and P. gossypinus) were also found to be reactive, with a GMT for the genus of 410. Several species of Neotoma woodrats (N. fuscipes, N. lepida, N. albigula, and N. mexicana) from California and Colorado had antibodies that reacted with the HGE agent (genus GMT = 194), suggesting that enzootic cycles of Ehrlichia spp. exist outside of the areas of confirmed human disease. Attempts to amplify and detect ehrlichial DNA from the limited tissues available (n = 40 animals) were unsuccessful. Further studies are needed to determine the identity of the organisms inducing antibody production in these rodent species and to elucidate the epidemiology and public health importance of these agents.

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