Welcome to the Rare Classroom, a new series from Patient Worthy. Rare Classroom is designed for the curious reader who wants to get informed on some of the rarest, most mysterious diseases and conditions. There are thousands of rare diseases out there, but only a very small number of them have viable treatments and regularly make the news. This series is an opportunity to learn the basics about some of the diseases that almost no one hears much about or that we otherwise haven’t been able to report on very often.

Eyes front and ears open. Class is now in session.

The disease that we will be learning about today is:

Anaplasmosis

What is Anaplasmosis?

• Anaplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Anaplasma
  • The principal species responsible for the infection include Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Anaplasma marginale
• While infectious, anaplasmosis is not a contagious illness
• Anaplasmosis is sometimes referred to as yellow fever or yellow bag, because of the jaundiced look of patients
• Aside from humans, anaplasmosis can also affect horses, dogs, and other livestock species
• While it can be found in many different areas of the world, in the United States, the disease is most prevalent in the South and West

How Do You Get It?

• The infection can be transmitted through poorly sterilized medical equipment and biting flies, but in most cases that affect humans, it’s the result of the bite of a tick
• Anaplasmosis is transmitted by ticks of the genus Ixodes, with Ixodes scapularis, the black-legged tick or deer tick, being the most common vector

What Are the Symptoms?

• Symptoms of anaplasmosis usually don’t appear until 3-6 weeks following infection. Once the infection is recognized, the immune system attacks infected red blood cells, but also damages healthy blood cells as well. Symptoms can include:
  • Drop in white blood cell counts
    • Anemia may become severe, leading to increased heartrate
  • Fever
  • Platelets in the bloodstream
  • Elevated liver enzymes
  • Rarely, a bullseye shaped rash (Lyme disease is co-transmitted in about 10 percent of cases)
  • Blood in the urine
  • Weight loss
  • Diarrhea

How Is It Treated?

• The primary method of treatment is the tetracycline class of drugs, which include:
  • Doxycycline
  • Tetracycline
  • Imidocarb
  • Chlortetracycline
  • Minocycline
  • Rolitetracycline
  • Oxytetracycline
• Supportive therapies, such as fluids and blood products, may be needed in severe cases

Where Can I Learn More???

• Check out our cornerstone on this disease here.
• Learn more from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).