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Infection and Immunity, January 2008, p. 120-126, Vol. 76, No. 1
0019-9567/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01206-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Outer Membrane Protein Sequence Variation in Lambs Experimentally Infected with Anaplasma phagocytophilum{triangledown}

Erik G. Granquist,1* Snorre Stuen,1 Anna M. Lundgren,2 Margrethe Bråten,1 and Anthony F. Barbet2

Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Section of Small Ruminant Research, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Sandnes N-4325, Norway,1 Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-08802

Received 3 September 2007/ Returned for modification 1 October 2007/ Accepted 23 October 2007

Anaplasma phagocytophilum has long been known to cause tick-borne fever in ruminants and has been identified more recently as the causative agent of the emerging disease human granulocytic anaplasmosis. The related organism Anaplasma marginale uses gene conversion of the expression site for two major outer membrane proteins (OMPs) to generate extensive sequence and antigenic variation in these OMPs. This is thought to present a continuously varying repertoire of epitopes to the mammalian host and allow disease persistence. Recent genomic and structural data on human strains of A. phagocytophilum, together with animal studies in model systems, have implicated an orthologous OMP of A. phagocytophilum in a similar mechanism of variation. However, to date there has been little investigation of the mechanisms of antigenic variation or disease persistence in hosts naturally infected with field strains of A. phagocytophilum. Approximately 300,000 lambs in Norway suffer severe disease caused by A. phagocytophilum annually. We show here the persistent and cyclic nature of infection in these animals that is accompanied by loosely programmed sequence variation of the major OMP expression site in each rickettsemic peak. These data will allow analysis of interactions between A. phagocytophilum and the host immune system in naturally occurring persistent infections and provide an important comparison with enduring infections of cattle caused by A. marginale.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Section of Small Ruminant Research, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Kyrkjevegen 332/334, Sandnes/N-4325, Norway. Phone: 47 51603510. Fax: 47 51603509. E-mail: erik.georg.granquist{at}veths.no

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 29 October 2007.

Editor: R. P. Morrison

Infection and Immunity, January 2008, p. 120-126, Vol. 76, No. 1
0019-9567/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01206-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Sarkar, M., Troese, M. J., Kearns, S. A., Yang, T., Reneer, D. V., Carlyon, J. A. (2008). Anaplasma phagocytophilum MSP2(P44)-18 Predominates and Is Modified into Multiple Isoforms in Human Myeloid Cells. Infect. Immun. 76: 2090-2098 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ladbury, G. A. F., Stuen, S., Thomas, R., Bown, K. J., Woldehiwet, Z., Granquist, E. G., Bergstrom, K., Birtles, R. J. (2008). Dynamic Transmission of Numerous Anaplasma phagocytophilum Genotypes among Lambs in an Infected Sheep Flock in an Area of Anaplasmosis Endemicity. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46: 1686-1691 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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