Anaplasmataceae: global distribution and predicted high-risk areas

The family Anaplasmataceae is a group of obligate intracellular bacteria in the order Rickettsiales. The members of Anaplasmataceae have been found in a wide range of wild and domestic animals as well as arthropods such as ticks, mosquitoes, fleas, lice, and mites. Several genera such as Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Candidatus Neoehrlichia in the family Anaplasmataceae include species responsible for disease in humans and other animals, and are vectored mainly by ticks. The first description of Anaplasmataceae species dates back to 1910 in South Africa where Anaplasma marginale was identified as a causative agent of cattle disease.