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Abstract An 11‐year‐old female spayed German Wirehaired Pointer with a 1‐week history of lethargy, hyporexia, diarrhea, and coughing presented with pericardial effusion causing cardiac tamponade. An echocardiogram revealed no structural cause for pericardial effusion. The pericardial effusion was an exudate with mixed macrophagic and neutrophilic inflammation. Morulae occasionally were found within neutrophils. The pericardial fluid and blood were qPCR and cPCR positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum (NC State University, Vector‐borne Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Raleigh, NC). The dog's blood was negative by ELISA (Vetscan Flex4 Rapid Test, Zoetis, Parsippany, NJ) for A. phagocytophilum antibodies at initial presentation and subsequently positive (SNAP4DxPlus, IDEXX, Westbrook, ME) 7 days later. After pericardiocentesis and administration of doxycycline (5 mg/kg PO q12h for 14 days), a repeat echocardiogram performed 1 month later showed no recurrence of pericardial effusion.

An 11‐year‐old female spayed German Wirehaired Pointer with a 1‐week history of lethargy, hyporexia, diarrhea, and coughing presented with pericardial effusion causing cardiac tamponade. An echocardiogram revealed no structural cause for pericardial effusion. The pericardial effusion was an exudate with mixed macrophagic and neutrophilic inflammation. Morulae occasionally were found within neutrophils. The pericardial fluid and blood were qPCR and cPCR positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum (NC State University, Vector‐borne Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Raleigh, NC). The dog's blood was negative by ELISA (Vetscan Flex4 Rapid Test, Zoetis, Parsippany, NJ) for A. phagocytophilum antibodies at initial presentation and subsequently positive (SNAP4DxPlus, IDEXX, Westbrook, ME) 7 days later. After pericardiocentesis and administration of doxycycline (5 mg/kg PO q12h for 14 days), a repeat echocardiogram performed 1 month later showed no recurrence of pericardial effusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum can cause granulocytic anaplasmosis in domestic animals, wildlife, and humans. The pathogen is transmitted by ticks and is predominantly endemic in Central and Northern Europe. We discuss the percentages of dogs that tested positive for A. phagocytophilum by direct detection of the pathogen (4.9%) and by detecting antibodies (23.3%). We found a statistically significant impact of seasonality and years of testing on PCR results as well as sex, age, years of testing and seasonality on antibody results. The dynamics of infections with A. phagocytophilum in dogs in Germany are consistent with peaks in vector activity. There is a notable increase in canine granulocytic anaplasmosis in Germany over the time of this study, which calls for increased attention and demonstrates its rising importance in clinical practice. Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes granulocytic anaplasmosis in domestic animals, wildlife, and humans and is primarily transmitted by ticks of the Ixodes persulcatus complex. This retrospective study aims to determine the percentages of dogs that tested positive for A. phagocytophilum in Germany. It included the results of direct (polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) and indirect (immunofluorescence antibody test [IFAT], antibody-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]) detection methods performed in the laboratory LABOKLIN on canine samples provided by German veterinarians from 2008 to 2020. Out of a total of 27,368 dogs tested by PCR, 1332 (4.9%) tested positive, while 24,720 (27.4%) of the 90,376 dogs tested by IFAT/ELISA had positive serology. High rates of positive PCR results were observed in months with known peaks in vector activity, showing that the dynamics of A. phagocytophilum infections in dogs in Germany are consistent with vector activity. In dogs with a positive PCR result, peaks in serology could be observed four weeks after initial testing. Male and senior dogs had higher rates of positive serology. A possible impact of environmental factors such as changes in climate should be investigated further. Overall, the upward trend in positive test results over the years indicates that canine granulocytic anaplasmosis will continue to become increasingly important for veterinary medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the etiological agent of canine granulocytic anaplasmosis in dogs and causes human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA). Tick‐borne anaplasmosis has been recognised as an emerging zoonotic health concern worldwide. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in ticks collected from dogs in the UK and map its distribution. Routine surveillance of tick‐borne disease is essential as part of a "One Health" approach to infectious disease management. Methods: Tick DNA samples collected in 2015 as part of a large‐scale tick surveillance programme were analysed using a previously validated diagnostic quantitative PCR for A. phagocytophilum. Results: PCR analysis indicated that 138 out of 2994 tick DNA samples analysed were positive for A. phagocytophilum, a prevalence of 4.6% (95% CI: 3.89–5.42). Among these 138 tick DNA samples, 131 were from Ixodes ricinus, six were from Ixodes hexagonus and one was from Ixodes canisuga. Three of the I. ricinus tick DNA samples positive for A. phagocytophilum DNA were also positive for Borrelia spp. DNA and one was positive for Babesia spp. DNA, indicating co‐infection. The ticks positive for the pathogen DNA were found widely distributed throughout the UK. Conclusions: These data provide important information on the prevalence and wide distribution of A. phagocytophilum in ticks infesting dogs within the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]