Rank: Species

Lineage: Bacteria;Proteobacteria;Alphaproteobacteria;Rickettsiales;Anaplasmataceae;Anaplasma;Anaplasma phagocytophilum

Description: Anaplasma phagocytophilum. This organism is a tick-borne (Ixodes spp.) obligate intracellular pathogen that infects humans and causes human granulocytic anaplasmosis as well as infecting several other types of animals. It specifically attaches to and is internalized by neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes). The bacterium persist within vacuoles intracellularly. This organism produces a number of pathogenic factors that aid virulence. These include specific adhesins for neutrophils, virulence factors that inhibit both phagosome-lysozome fusion and production of reactive oxygen species that would normally kill the bacterium. The bacterium also inhibits programmed cell death of the neutrophil (apoptosis) and induces expression of interleukin-8, which causes neutrophil chemotaxis, thereby increasing the spread of the bacterium throughout the host organism. More >> Less >>

Reference Material:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/?term=Anaplasma%20phagocytophilum