Molecular Characterization of Anaplasma spp. in Cattle from Kazakhstan

Bovine anaplasmosis is an infectious vector-borne disease caused by bacteria of the genus <i>Anaplasma</i>, which have a wide global distribution and represent a high economic burden for agriculture. The use of molecular genetic techniques has increased our knowledge of the species diversity of <i>Anaplasma</i> spp. and naturally susceptible animals. Monitoring studies allow us to assess the level of infection in herds, as well as the involvement of natural vectors in the processes of maintaining and spreading infection. Despite the high prevalence of <i>Theileria</i> and <i>Babesia</i> in cattle in Kazakhstan, there is no information on the distribution and species diversity of <i>Anaplasma</i> spp in this country. As part of this work, 7027 DNA samples isolated from the whole blood of cattle from 175 settlements in all 17 Kazakhstan regions were PCR-tested for the presence of <i>Anaplasma</i> spp. <i>Anaplasma</i> carriers were found in 1.3% (90 out of 7027) of the tested animals in 9 of the 17 regions of Kazakhstan. The highest percentage of infected animals was recorded in Turkistan (South Kazakhstan) and North Kazakhstan with 4.46% and 2.48% positive samples, respectively. The partial sequencing of <i>16S rRNA</i> and the <i>groEL</i> gene allowed us to identify five species of <i>Anaplasma</i>: <i>A. centrale</i>, <i>A. marginale</i>, <i>Candidatus Anaplasma</i> Mongolica, <i>A. ovis</i>, and Unknown <i>Anaplasma</i> with infection rates of 0.63%, 0.44%, 0.13%, 0.01%, and 0.01%, respectively.