AUTHOR=André Marcos Rogério 

TITLE=Diversity of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia/Neoehrlichia Agents in Terrestrial Wild Carnivores Worldwide: Implications for Human and Domestic Animal Health and Wildlife Conservation

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=5

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00293

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2018.00293

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p>Recently, the incidence and awareness of tick-borne diseases in humans and animals have increased due to several factors, which in association favor the chances of contact among wild animals and their ectoparasites, domestic animals and humans. Wild and domestic carnivores are considered the primary source of tick-borne zoonotic agents to humans. Among emergent tick-borne pathogens, agents belonging to family Anaplasmataceae (Order Rickettsiales) agents stand out due their worldwide distribution and zoonotic potential. In this review we aimed to review the genetic diversity of the tick-transmitted genera <italic>Ehrlichia, Anaplasma and “Candidatus</italic> Neoehrlichia sp.” in wild carnivores Caniformia (Canidae, Mustelidae and Ursidae) and Feliformia (Felidae, Hyanidae, Procyonidae and Viverridae) worldwide, discussing the implications for human and domestic animal health and wildlife conservation. Red foxes (<italic>Vulpes vulpes</italic>) have been identified as hosts for <italic>Anaplasma</italic> spp. (<italic>A. phagocytophilum, Anaplasma ovis, A. platys</italic>), <italic>Ehrlichia canis</italic> and “<italic>Candidatus</italic> Neoehrlichia sp.” (FU98 strain) and may contribute to the maintaenance of <italic>A. phagocytophilum</italic> in Europe. Raccoons (<italic>Procyon lotor</italic>) have been reported as hosts for <italic>E. canis, A. bovis</italic>, “<italic>Candidatus</italic> Neoehrlichia lotoris” and <italic>A. phagocytophilum</italic>, and play a role in the maintenance of <italic>A. phagocytophilum</italic> in the USA. Raccoon dogs (<italic>Nyctereutes procyonoides</italic>) may play a role as hosts for <italic>A. bovis</italic> and <italic>A. phagocytophilum</italic>. New <italic>Ehrlichia</italic> and/or <italic>Anaplasma</italic> genotypes circulate in wild canids and felids from South America and Africa. While <italic>Ehrlichia</italic> sp. closely related to <italic>E. canis</italic> has been reported in wild felids from Brazil and Japan, <italic>Anaplasma</italic> sp. closely related to <italic>A. phagocytophilum</italic> has been detected in wild felids from Brazil and Africa. Red foxes and mustelids (otters) are exposed to <italic>E. canis</italic> in countries located in the Mediaterranean basin, probably as a consequence of spillover from domestic dogs. Similarly, <italic>E. canis</italic> occurs in procyonids in North (raccoons in USA, Spain) and South (<italic>Nasua nasua</italic> in Brazil) Hemispheres, in areas where <italic>E. canis</italic> is frequent in dogs. While “<italic>Candidatus</italic> Neoehrlichia lotoris” seems to be a common and specific agent of raccoons in the USA, “<italic>Candidatus</italic> Neoehrlichia sp.” (FU98 strain) seems to show a broader range of hosts, since it has been detected in red fox, golden jackal (<italic>Canis aureus</italic>) and badger (<italic>Meles meles</italic>) in Europe so far. Brown (<italic>Ursus arctos</italic>) and black (<italic>Ursus americanus</italic>) bears seem to play a role as hosts for <italic>A. phagocytophilum</italic> in the North Hemisphere. <italic>Anaplasma bovis</italic> has been detected in wild Procyonidae, Canidae and Felidae in Asia and Brazil. In order to assess the real identity of the involved agents, future works should benefit from the application of MLST (Multi Locus Sequence Typing), WGS (Whole Genome Sequencing) and NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) technologies aiming at shedding some light on the role of wild carnivores in the epidemiology of Anaplasmataceae agents.</p>