MegaELISA® ANAPLASMA phagocytophilum is an enzyme immunoassay for the qualitative detection of IgG antibodies against Anaplasma phagocytophilum in plasma or serum of the dog.

Anaplasmosis is a bacterial-borne infectious disease that can cause various clinical symptoms depending on vector or pathogen species. The agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum mainly occurs in the northern hemisphere causing granulocytotropic anaplasmosis. It plays an important epidemiologic role in dogs. Other mammals as well as humans (zoonosis) can be also infected by a tick bite.

In principle, tick territories (endemic area) are potential breeding grounds for dogs. In Europe, approximately 2–4.5% of the ticks (especially Ixodes spp.; Dermacentor spp.) are infected with A. phagocytophilum. Actual studies in Germany show seroprevalences of the dog between 19 and 50%. The morbidity for single infection with A. phagocytophilum is low, but coinfection (e.g. Borrelia burgdorferi, E. canis) will increase the clinical course.

With a transmission time of usually up to 25 hours after a tick bite and an incubation time of 2–20 days, infections typically are subclinical or self-limiting. Antibody titres normally will increase 2–3 weeks post infection, remain for some months and decrease to normal levels after 7 months. Clinical symptoms are fever, apathy, stiff muscle, polyarthritis with joint pain/swelling, lameness, weight loss, thrombocytopenia, anaemia, petechial haemorrhages and increasing inflammatory values (CRP, haptoglobin). Subarachnoid haemorrhage could lead to central nervous disorders. The mortality is low.

Due to similar clinical symptoms in tick-transmitted infectious diseases, the veterinarian using MegaELISA® ANAPLASMA phagocytophilum is able to identify the A. phagocytophilum antibody status of the suspicious animal. This enables to start further prophylactic and therapeutic measurements.

MegaELISA® ANAPLASMA phagocytophilum is based on recombinant, highly specific peptides for the fast and reliable detection of antibodies against Anaplasma phagocytophilum in plasma or serum of the dog.