' Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis' in Europe

New Microbes New Infect. 2018 Jan 6:22:30-36. doi: 10.1016/j.nmni.2017.12.011. eCollection 2018 Mar.

Abstract

'Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis' is an uncultured emerging bacterium that is provisionally included in the family Anaplasmataceae. In Europe, it is transmitted by Ixodes ricinus ticks. Rodents are the reservoirs. It is widely distributed in mammals (both wild and domestic) and birds. It causes an inflammatory disease in humans with underlying diseases, but the microorganism also affects immunocompetent individuals in which asymptomatic infection has been recognized. A high degree of suspicion and the use of molecular tools are needed for the correct diagnosis. Efforts to cultivate it and to investigate its pathogenesis should be a priority.

Keywords: Dermacentor reticulatus; Europe; Ixodes ricinus; coinfection; doxycycline; neoehrlichiosis; reservoir; tick; tick-borne diseases; ‘Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis’.

Publication types

  • Review