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.

scholarly journals Serologic Testing for Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis at a National Referral Center

1999 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 558-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Comer ◽  
William L. Nicholson ◽  
James G. Olson ◽  
James E. Childs
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Serum Sample ◽  
The United States ◽  
Immunofluorescence Assay ◽  
Etiologic Agent ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Rickettsia Rickettsii ◽  
Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Control And Prevention

An indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) was used to identify patients with antibodies reactive to the human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) agent. Serum samples collected from clinically ill individuals were submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by physicians via state health departments from throughout the United States and tested against a panel of ehrlichial and rickettsial pathogens. Antibodies reactive to the HGE agent were detected in 142 (8.9%) of 1,602 individuals tested. There were 19 confirmed and 59 probable (n = 78) cases of HGE as defined by seroconversion or a fourfold or higher titer to the HGE agent than to the Ehrlichia chaffeensis antigens. The average age of patients with HGE was 57 years, and males accounted for 53 (68%) of the patients. Cases of HGE occurred in 21 states; 47 (60%) of the cases occurred in Connecticut (n = 14), New York (n = 18), and Wisconsin (n = 15). Onset of HGE was identified from April through December, with cases peaking in June and July. The earliest confirmed cases of HGE occurred in 1987 in Wisconsin and 1988 in Florida. No fatalities were reported among the 78 patients with confirmed or probable HGE. Reactivity to the HGE agent and to either Coxiella burnetii, Rickettsia rickettsii, or Rickettsia typhi was infrequent; however, 74 (52%) of the 142 individuals who were positive for HGE had at least one serum sample that also reacted to the E. chaffeensis antigen. Thirty-four persons with confirmed or probable human monocytic ehrlichiosis due to E. chaffeensis also had antibodies to the HGE agent in at least one serum sample. The specific etiologic agent for 30 patients was not ascribed because of similarity of titers to both ehrlichial antigens. The use of both antigens may be required to correctly diagnose most cases of human ehrlichiosis, especially in geographic regions where both the HGE agent and E. chaffeensis occur.

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 a Natural Infection of White-Tailed Deer with the Agent of Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis in Wisconsin and Maryland

1998 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 762-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer J. Walls ◽  
Kristin M. Asanovich ◽  
Johan S. Bakken ◽  
J. Stephen Dumler
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Natural Infection ◽  
The United States ◽  
Infectious Agents ◽  
Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Ehrlichia Phagocytophila ◽  
Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Serologic Evidence ◽  
Indirect Immunofluorescent

ABSTRACT White-tailed deer participate in the maintenance of theIxodes tick life cycle and are reservoirs for some tick-borne infectious agents. Deer may be useful sentinels for tick-transmitted agents, such as ehrlichiae. In order to determine whether white-tailed deer are markers of natural transmission or are reservoirs for the human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) agent, we performed indirect immunofluorescent-antibody (IFA) tests and immunoblotting with the HGE agent and Ehrlichia chaffeensison sera from 43 and 294 deer captured in northwest Wisconsin during 1994 and 1995, respectively, and 12 deer from southern Maryland. According to IFA testing, 47% of 1994 Wisconsin sera, 60% of 1995 Wisconsin sera, and 25% of Maryland sera contained HGE agent antibodies. All IFA-positive deer sera tested reacted with the 44-kDa band which is unique to the Ehrlichia phagocytophila group. Serologic reactions to E. chaffeensis were detected by IFA testing in 15 of 337 (4%) Wisconsin deer and in 10 of 12 (83%) Maryland deer, while 60 and 80% of E. chaffeensisIFA-positive Wisconsin and Maryland deer sera, respectively, reacted with the E. chaffeensis 28- to 29-kDa antigens by immunoblotting. A total of 4% of deer from Wisconsin and 25% of deer from Maryland were found by IFA testing to have antibodies to both the HGE agent and E. chaffeensis; 75% of these were confirmed to contain E. chaffeensis antibodies by immunoblotting. These results suggest that white-tailed deer in diverse geographical regions of the United States are naturally infected with the HGE agent, E. chaffeensis, or both and that these animals, and potentially humans, are exposed to infected ticks at a high frequency in nature.

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 Comparison of Two Recombinant Major Outer Membrane Proteins of the Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis Agent for Use in an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

2000 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 652-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoko Tajima ◽  
Ning Zhi ◽  
Quan Lin ◽  
Yasuko Rikihisa ◽  
Harold W. Horowitz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Immunofluorescence Assay ◽  
Babesia Microti ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Healthy Humans ◽  
Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Negative Controls

ABSTRACT Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) using two different recombinant P44 proteins (rP44 and rP44-2hv) of the HGE agent as antigens was evaluated. Sera from a total of 72 healthy humans both from regions where HGE is nonendemic and regions where HGE is endemic were used as negative controls to determine the cutoff value for ELISA. Sera from a total of 14 patients (nine from whom the HGE agent was isolated and five who were HGE-PCR positive) were used as positive controls. One hundred nine sera from 72 patients in an area where HGE is endemic who were suspected of having HGE were examined by ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). All IFA-negative sera were negative by both ELISAs. Of 39 sera that were IFA positive, 35 and 27 were positive by ELISA using rP44 and rP44-2hv, respectively, indicating that the use of rP44 is more sensitive. Western blot analysis of the four rP44-ELISA-negative IFA-positive sera using whole HGE agent as antigen suggests that these four sera were false IFA positive. There was no difference in results with or without the preabsorption of sera with Escherichia coli or with or without the cleavage of the fused protein derived from the vector. There was a significant positive correlation between IFA titers and optical densities of ELISAs. Four Ehrlichia chaffeensis-positive and 10 Borrelia burgdorferi-positive sera were negative by ELISA. However, twoBabesia microti-positive sera showed strong cross-reactivity to the fused vector protein, which was eliminated after cleavage of the protein. Thus, ELISA using rP44 nonfusion protein would provide a simple, specific, and objective HGE serologic test which can be easily automated.

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 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.

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