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Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 44(3), 2008, pp. 569-577
© Wildlife Disease Association  2008
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A NOVEL CLINICAL SYNDROME AND DETECTION OF ANAPLASMA OVIS IN MONGOLIAN REINDEER (RANGIFER TARANDUS)

 Jerry C. Haigh1, Victoria Gerwing2, Janchivdorj Erdenebaatar3 and Janet E. Hill4,5

1 Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
2 BovaCan Laboratories, Saskatchewan Research Council, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 2X8, Canada
3 Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Zaisan 210153, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
4 Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
5 Correspondening author (email: Janet.Hill{at}usask.ca)

ABSTRACT:   The Tsaatan (or Dhuka) peoples of northern-western Mongolia are one of the few remaining reindeer-herding cultural groups in the world. Recently a disease condition that involves sudden death of reindeer and cases involving fever, lethargy, and pale mucous membranes has been reported. Examination of blood smears collected in the 2005 field season resulted in the identification of intra-erythrocytic inclusions resembling Anaplasma spp. in smears from clinically sick animals. Using universal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers for the amplification of the 60 kDa chaperonin gene (cpn60, also known as hsp60 or groEL), we detected sequences corresponding to Anaplasma ovis in reindeer blood samples. Species-specific PCR primers for A. ovis were designed and validated and used to screen blood samples from Mongolian reindeer. Screening of 66 blood samples collected in the 2006 field season resulted in the detection of A. ovis in 80% of the samples. Our results indicate a high prevalence of A. ovis in the Tsaatan reindeer herds and an association with clinical disease that is likely to be anaplasmosis. To our knowledge this is the first report of natural A. ovis infection in reindeer.
  Key words:  Anaplasma ovis, anaplasmosis, cpn60, Mongolia, PCR diagnostic, reindeer, Rangifer tarandus.






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