Cattle anaplasmosis caused by Anaplasma marginale is transmitted by ticks and characterized by fever, anemia, icterus, decrease of milk production, body weight loss, abortions and death, although inapparent infections are often found. The disease mainly occurs in tropical and subtropical regions, but is also found in some countries of temperate climate. In Poland anaplasmosis has not been examined yet, which is why the aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence for A. marginale infection in target cattle populations in Warmia and Mazury region, Poland. An epidemiological survey was carried out in 2007-2008 in 18 out of 19 districts. Multistage sampling was used, comprising probability sampling of 2-5 herds out of each district also followed by probability sampling of an adequate number of animals in each herd, assuming a detection of 20% A. marginale infections with 95% confidence level. In total the study population constituted 1326 cattle in 126 herds, counting 3-193 individuals at ages of 1-15 years. Serological examination was conducted by competitive ELISA (Anaplasma Antibody Test Kit, cELISA - VMRD, Inc. Pullmann, USA), which detects the specific antibody against MSP-5 (Major Surface Protein-5) A. marginale. In 2007-2008 A. marginale infection was found in 12 out of 18 districts (66.7%) in the Warmia and Mazury region. Prevalence ratios were calculated as 13.49% for cattle herds and 1.73% for animals, similarly to other countries situated in regions with a mild climate. The obtained results indicate a significant dissemination of A. marginale infections in the cattle population in Warmia and Mazury region, although low prevalence ratios for herds and especially for animals prove an advantageous epizootic situation in this region, which does not require the introduction of sophisticated methods to control cattle anaplasmosis.
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