[Investigation on Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection among farmers and domestic animals in rural areas of Beijing, China].

Objective: To investigate the status of Ehrlichia (E.) chaffeensis and Anaplasma (A.) phagocytophilum infection among farming populations and domestic animals in the rural area of Beijing, China.

Methods: Blood samples from 562 farmers and 163 blood samples including 90 goats, 71 ox and 2 dogs, were collected. Specificity of IgG antibodies against E. chaffeensis and A. phagocytophilum were tested by micro-indirect immunofluorescent assay (mIFA). 16S rRNA genes of A. phagocytophilum were amplified from the domestic animal blood samples and products were sequenced and analyzed by nested PCR.

Results: The positive rates of E. chaffeensis and A. phagocytophilum antibody were 16.5% and 14.0% respectively for farmers. The total positive rates of A. phagocytophilum were 2.3% and 0 for both goats and oxen respectively. No antibody was found for the 2 tested dogs. The PCR positive rates were 48.9% and 23.9% for goats and oxen respectively. Three dominant varieties of A. phagocytophilum were demonstrated in goats and oxen.

Conclusion: The prevalence rates of E. chaffeensis and A. phagocytophilum were identified in the rural areas of Beijing.