Anaplasmosis

ABOUT

Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilium. The disease is transmitted to humans by bites from blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) and western blacklegged ticks (Ixodes pacificus). Symptoms usually occur within 1-2 weeks of being bitten by an infected tick and include fever, headache, chills, and muscle aches.

Anaplasmosis was first recognized as a human disease in the mid-1990s, but did not become a reportable disease until 1999. The number of cases has increased steadily over the years, from 348 cases reported in 2000 to 1,006 cases in 2008. Anaplasmosis is most frequently reported from the upper Midwest and Northeast. Six states (New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) account for 88% of all reported cases. West Virginia has had 133 Anaplasmosis cases since 2019. Blacklegged ticks are found in specific regions of the state. The Eastern Panhandle, for example, has an established Ixodes scapularis population. This area also accounts for the majority of Lyme disease cases in the West Virginia.

COMMUNITY

• Tickborne Infection Prevention Checklist 
• CDC Information: Anaplasmosis

HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

• Report within ONE WEEK to the local health department

LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS

• Surveillance Protocol
• Case Definition
• WVEDSS
• Tickborne Rickettsial Disease Report Form

DATA AND SURVEILLANCE

• Tick Surveillance 
• Zoonotic Disease Report