Potential emerging “Anaplasmosis” and “Ehrlichiosis” infectious diseases and their arthropod vectors in Japan

Abstract

Anaplasmosis and Ehrlichiosis are tick-borne and emerging infectious diseases caused by the obligatory intracellular bacteria Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis, respectively. These infectious diseases were first discovered in the United States during the 1990s. In Japan, A. phagocytophilum specific genes were recently detected from several tick species. Although the E. chaffeensis gene was detected from sika deer (Cervus nippon nippon), tick species as arthropod vectors are still unknown. Here, we summarize and introduce these two emerging infectious diseases and their potential tick vectors in Japan.