Antibodies against Ehrlichia / Anaplasma phagocytophilum, IgG and IgM

The genera Ehrlichia and Anaplasma belong to a group of bacteria called rickettsiae. Rickettsiae are parasites of mammals and arthropods The Ehrlichia and Anaplasma genera are bacteria that primarily cause diseases of livestock and domestic animals in particular. It is observed however, an increasing number of infections in humans. Human infection occurs as a result of a bite or rubbing into damaged skin feces of infected arthropods. One of the most commonly isolated from humans is Anaplasma phagocytophilum, whose vector are ticks of the genus Ixodes. A common feature of diseases caused by both types of bacteria is sparseness, which makes them difficult to diagnose. The disease usually has a flu-like. Helpful in the diagnosis is the finding of a history of tick bite. Diagnosis of the disease is based mainly on the search for pathogen-specific antibodies in the IgM and IgG classes It is necessary to find a fourfold increase in the titer (level) of antibodies at an interval of several weeks.