anaplasmosis
The incubation period varies from three to four weeks. Infected animals first show a fever, which may rise to 107°C (62°C) in severe cases, and then jaundice and anemia set in. Pregnant cows will frequently abort. Treatment of anaplasmosis consists of antibiotic therapy and blood transfusions, administration of fluids, and rest. Protecting well animals through the routine use of insecticides or insect repellents (to control insects that carry the rickettsia) or by vaccination limits the incidence of the disease.
Human granulocytic anaplasmosis, which was called human granulocytic ehrlichiosis when it was first identified (the causative agent, A. phagocytophilum, was classified at the time in Ehrlichia, another rickettsia genus), continues to be generically considered an ehrlichiosis.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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