Prevalence of Anaplasma bovis in Canadian populations of the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni

PCR and DNA sequencing were used to determine the prevalence of Anaplasma bovis in Rocky Mountain wood ticks (Dermacentor andersoni) collected in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. These analyses revealed that A. bovis DNA was present in 35 (2.1%) of 1679 ticks collected at 12 of the 24 localities. The discovery of A. bovis in host-seeking female and male D. andersoni from multiple locations in southern Canada may have important implications for diagnosis of anaplasmosis in Canada.