Neoehrlichiosis Explained

Synonym:	-->
Specialty:	Infectious disease

Neoehrlichiosis is a disease caused by the intracellular pathogen Neoehrlichia mikurensis. It usually presents with symptoms such as fever and vascular complications of unclear origin, e.g., thromboembolisms.^{[1] [2]}

The disease is diagnosed using a Neoehrlichia mikurensis-specific PCR.^[3] Because Neoehrlichia mikurensis is an intracellular bacteria, cultivation on cell-free media and other routine microbiological methods can not be utilised for detection. This difficulty, along with being a relatively unknown disease, leads to many cases going undiagnosed for months or years, or even unrecognised entirely.^[4]

Previously, it was believed that neoehrlichiosis only affected immunocompromised patients, but more recent studies indicate that otherwise healthy individuals may also be susceptible.^{[5] [6] [7]}

Notes and References

1. Wennerås . C. . 2015-05-11 . Infections with the tick-borne bacterium Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis . Clinical Microbiology and Infection . en . 21 . 7 . 621–630 . 10.1016/j.cmi.2015.02.030. 25770773 . free .
2. Höper . Linnea . Skoog . Elisabet . Stenson . Martin . Grankvist . Anna . Wass . Linda . Olsen . Björn . Nilsson . Kenneth . Mårtensson . Andreas . Söderlind . Jacob . Sakinis . Augustinas . Wennerås . Christine . 2021-10-05 . Vasculitis due to Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis: A Cohort Study of 40 Swedish Patients . Clinical Infectious Diseases . en . 73 . 7 . e2372–e2378 . 10.1093/cid/ciaa1217 . 32818961 . 1058-4838.
3. Grankvist . A. . Andersson . P.-O. . Mattsson . M. . Sender . M. . Vaht . K. . Hoper . L. . Sakiniene . E. . Trysberg . E. . Stenson . M. . Fehr . J. . Pekova . S. . Bogdan . C. . Bloemberg . G. . Wenneras . C. . 2014-06-15 . Infections With the Tick-Borne Bacterium "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis" Mimic Noninfectious Conditions in Patients With B Cell Malignancies or Autoimmune Diseases . Clinical Infectious Diseases . en . 58 . 12 . 1716–1722 . 10.1093/cid/ciu189 . 24647019 . 1058-4838. free .
4. Wass . Linda . Grankvist . Anna . Bell-Sakyi . Lesley . Bergström . Malin . Ulfhammer . Erik . Lingblom . Christine . Wennerås . Christine . 2019-01-01 . Cultivation of the causative agent of human neoehrlichiosis from clinical isolates identifies vascular endothelium as a target of infection . Emerging Microbes & Infections . en . 8 . 1 . 413–425 . 10.1080/22221751.2019.1584017 . 2222-1751 . 6455172 . 30898074.
5. Quarsten . H. . Grankvist . A. . Høyvoll . L. . Myre . I.B. . Skarpaas . T. . Kjelland . V. . Wenneras . C. . Noraas . S. . August 2017 . Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato detected in the blood of Norwegian patients with erythema migrans . Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases . en . 8 . 5 . 715–720 . 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.05.004. 28539197 .
6. Li . Hao . Jiang . Jia-Fu . Liu . Wei . Zheng . Yuan-Chun . Huo . Qiu-Bo . Tang . Kun . Zuo . Shuang-Yan . Liu . Kun . Jiang . Bao-Gui . Yang . Hong . Cao . Wu-Chun . October 2012 . Human Infection with Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, China . Emerging Infectious Diseases . 18 . 10 . 1636–1639 . 10.3201/eid1810.120594 . 1080-6040 . 3471638 . 23017728.
7. Welc-Falęciak . Renata . Siński . Edward . Kowalec . Maciej . Zajkowska . Joanna . Pancewicz . Sławomir A. . 2014-07-17 . Gilligan . P. H. . Asymptomatic "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis" Infections in Immunocompetent Humans . Journal of Clinical Microbiology . en . 52 . 8 . 3072–3074 . 10.1128/JCM.00741-14 . 0095-1137 . 4136151 . 24899023.