Divergence within the marker region of the groESL operon in Anaplasma phagocytophilum

Abstract

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an obligate intracellular bacterial parasite in human and animal granulocytes. In Europe, A. phagocytophilum is transmitted by Ixodes ticks; Ixodes ricinus is the vector of the parasite in Poland. In terms of epidemiology, the identification of pathogens in ticks increasingly relies on molecular techniques. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with species-specific primers is a tool that allows the quick and accurate detection of pathogens in ticks, humans, or animals. DNA was extracted from the blood of Capreolus capreolus and Cervus elaphus, and amplified using the primers HS1/HS6 (external) and HS43/HSVR (internal). For sequencing, six samples from roe deer and two samples from red deer were selected, and the resulting sequences were submitted to GenBank (accession numbers DQ779568, DQ779567, EU157919, EU157920, EU157921, EU157922). These nucleotide sequences were compared with each other and five variants were distinguished in roe deer and one in red deer. A comparison of the sequences of the author’s database revealed 45 polymorphic sites of substitution character (76% transitions and 24% transversions). The homology tree revealed two groups, one with sequences only from roe deer, while the second with sequences isolated mainly from red deer, livestock animals, and humans. These strains of A. phagocytophilum are also present in Poland.