Etymologia: Anaplasma phagocytophilum

Figure

Article Metrics

Metric Details

Ronnie Henry

Cite This Article

Anaplasma phagocytophilum [anʺǝ-plazʹmǝ faʹgo-sītʺo-fī-lum]

Thumbnail of Anaplasma phagocytophilum cultured in human promyelocytic cells, showing morulae as basophilic and intracytoplasmic inclusions (arrows). Wright-Giemsa stain. Original magnification x1,000. Image: Emerg Infect Dis. 2014;20:1708–11.

Figure. Anaplasma phagocytophilumcultured in human promyelocytic cells, showing morulae as basophilic and intracytoplasmic inclusions (arrows). Wright-Giemsa stain. Original magnification x1,000. Image: Emerg Infect Dis. 2014;20:1708–11.

A species of tickborne bacteria that causes human granulocytic anaplasmosis, Anaplasma (from the Greek an- [“without”] + plasma [“shape”]) phagocytophilum (named for its affinity for growing in neutrophils: phagocyte + Latin phile [“loving”]) has gone by many names (Figure). First it was named Rickettsia (for Howard Taylor Ricketts) phagocytophilum, then Cytoecetes (for its similarity to Cytoecetes microti) phagocytophilum, and then Ehrlichia(for Paul Ehrlich) phagocytophilum. More recently, E. equi and the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (now anaplasmosis) were combined with E. phagocytophilum as A. phagocytophilum.

Top

References

Kim K-H, Yi J, Oh WS, Kim NH, Choi SJ, Choe PG, et al. Human granulocytic anaplasmosis, South Korea, 2013. Emerg Infect Dis. 2014;20:1708–11. DOI PubMed
Woldehiwet Z. The natural history of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Vet Parasitol. 2010;167:108–22. DOI PubMed