ABSTRACT
Wild deer are one of the important natural reservoir hosts of several species of
Ehrlichia
and
Anaplasma
that cause human ehrlichiosis or anaplasmosis in the United States and Europe. The primary aim of the present study was to determine whether and what species of
Ehrlichia
and
Anaplasma
naturally infect deer in Japan. Blood samples obtained from wild deer on two major Japanese islands, Hokkaido and Honshu, were tested for the presence of
Ehrlichia
and
Anaplasma
by PCR assays and sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes, major outer membrane protein
p44
genes, and
groESL
. DNA representing four species and two genera of
Ehrlichia
and
Anaplasma
was identified in 33 of 126 wild deer (26%). DNA sequence analysis revealed novel strains of
Anaplasma phagocytophilum
, a novel
Ehrlichia
sp.,
Anaplasma centrale
, and
Anaplasma bovis
in the blood samples from deer. None of these have been found previously in deer. The new
Ehrlichia
sp.,
A. bovis
, and
A. centrale
were also detected in
Hemaphysalis longicornis
ticks from Honshu Island. These results suggest that enzootic cycles of
Ehrlichia
and
Anaplasma
species distinct from those found in the United States or Europe have been established in wild deer and ticks in Japan.