Dumler J Stephen, Brouqui Philippe
Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Ross Research Building, Room 624, 720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA.
Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2004 Jul;4(4):559-69. doi: 10.1586/14737159.4.4.559.
Human granulocytic anaplasmosis, formerly known as human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, is caused by the microorganism Anaplasma phagocytophilum that is transmitted by Ixodes tick bites. The disease state ranges from subclinical to fatal but may be difficult to differentiate from other febrile conditions without specific tests. Rapid and early diagnosis is important since the infection may be fatal and specific antibiotic therapy is required. The bacterium is an obligate intracellular pathogen of neutrophils. Thus, early diagnosis is best achieved by amplification of nucleic acids from the blood. An increasing number of potential gene targets for diagnostic assays have been described and the incipient release of an Anaplasma phagocytophilum genome sequence will not only help to better understand the disease but may facilitate improvements in diagnostic strategies.
人粒细胞无形体病，以前称为人粒细胞埃立克体病，由嗜吞噬细胞无形体微生物引起，通过硬蜱叮咬传播。疾病状态从亚临床到致命不等，但如果没有特定检测，可能难以与其他发热病症区分开来。快速早期诊断很重要，因为感染可能致命且需要特定的抗生素治疗。该细菌是中性粒细胞的专性细胞内病原体。因此，通过扩增血液中的核酸可实现最佳早期诊断。已描述了越来越多用于诊断检测的潜在基因靶点，嗜吞噬细胞无形体基因组序列的初步发布不仅有助于更好地了解该疾病，还可能促进诊断策略的改进。
