"Candidatus anaplasma camelii" in onehumped camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Morocco: a novel and emerging anaplasma species?
2017
Lbacha, Hicham Ait | Zouagui, Zaid | Alali, Said | Rhalem, Abdelkbir | Petit, Elisabeth | Ducrotoy, Marie Julie | Boulouis, Henri-Jean | Maillard, Renaud | Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II (IAV Hassan II) | Département de médecine, chirurgie et reproduction, Madinat Al Irfane ; Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II (IAV Hassan II) | Biologie moléculaire et immunologie parasitaires et fongiques (BIPAR) ; École nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort (ENVA)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Laboratoire de santé animale, sites de Maisons-Alfort et de Normandie ; Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12) | Division of Infection and Pathway Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine ; The University of Edinburgh | CEVA Santé Animale [Libourne, France] (Laboratoire Vétérinaire Pharmaceutique) | Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (ENVT) ; Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP) ; Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT) | PRAD project [28027YM]; Institut Agronomique et Veterinaire Hassan II; BIPAR; Ecole Nationale Veterinaire de Toulouse
Background: There has been a growing interest in camel anaplasmosis due to its recent emergence in this reservoir species and concerns for its zoonotic potential. The epidemiology of anaplasmosis in camels therefore remains poorly understood mostly because camels belong to marginalised poor and often transhumant populations whose interests are largely neglected. Most studies of anaplasmosis in camels have relied on microscopy and serology for diagnosis and only three studies, undertaken in Tunisia, Saudia Arabia and China, have used molecular diagnostics. The present work characterises Anaplasmataceae strains circulating in the Camelus dromedarius reservoir in Morocco using PCR. Methods: Camels (n = 106) were randomly sampled from 6 regions representing different agro-ecological areas in southern Morocco. Whole blood was collected and screened using PCR methods targeting the gene groEL. Anaplasmataceae strains were characterised by sequence analysis of the gene groEL. Results: A total of 39.62% (42/106) camels screened were positive for Anaplasmataceae spp. GenBank BLAST analysis of five positive sequenced samples revealed that all strains were 100% identical to "Candidatus Anaplasma camelii". Phylogenetic investigation and genetic characterisation of the aligned segment (650 bp) of the gene groEL confirmed high similarity with A. platys. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the circulation of a previously unidentified species of the genus Anaplasma in Morocco which is genetically close to the agent causing canine anaplasmosis but whose main reservoir is thought to be Camelus dromedarius.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]