Emergence of Anaplasma Species Related to A. phagocytophilum and A. platys in Senegal.

The genus () includes tick-transmitted bacterial species of importance to both veterinary and human medicine. Apart from the traditionally recognized six Anaplasma species (, , , , ), novel strains and candidate species, also of relevance to veterinary and human medicine, are emerging worldwide. Although species related to the zoonotic and have been reported in several African and European Mediterranean countries, data on the presence of these species in sub-Saharan countries are still lacking. This manuscript reports the investigation of strains related to zoonotic species in ruminants in Senegal by combining different molecular tests and phylogenetic approaches. The results demonstrated a recent introduction of () Anaplasma turritanum, a species related to the pathogenic , possibly originating by founder effect. Further, novel undetected strains related to () Anaplasma cinensis were detected in cattle. Based on and molecular comparisons, we propose including these latter strains into the () Anaplasma africanum species. Finally, we also report the emergence of () in Senegal. Collectively, results confirm that species diversity is greater than expected and should be further investigated, and that routine diagnostic procedures and epidemiological surveillance should take into account specificity issues raised by the presence of these novel strains, suggesting the use of a One Health approach for the management of in sub-Saharan Africa.