Prevalence of Eperythrozoon spp. infection and congenital eperythrozoonosis in humans in Inner Mongolia, China

Abstract

Eperythrozoon is an obligate parasitic bacteria found in many species of animals. A large scale investigation of the prevalence of Eperythrozoon spp. in humans, was conducted in a developing country using light, electron microscope and animal inoculation. Samples were collected in undeveloped areas of Inner Mongolia in China over a 2-year period of 1994-6. Of the 1529 investigated samples, 35.3% were found to be Eperythrozoon spp. positive. The prevalence of infection was associated with occupation and seasonal variations. The infections were mainly mild, in 89.6% of cases (excluding pregnant women and their children). Of 74 pregnant women tested in the areas of high prevalence, 44 were confirmed Eperythrozoon spp. positive. Similarly, eperythrozoa were found in all 44 umbilical cords tested and in the neonatal peripheral blood samples taken at birth. These data suggest that eperythrozoa can be transmitted via the placenta.

Infection with Hemotropic Mycoplasma Species in Patients with or without Extensive Arthropod or Animal Contact

“…First, it appears that people in the United States with extensive arthropod and animal contact are at occupationally greater risk for hemotropic Mycoplasma species infections, particularly with M. ovis, than those who are infrequently exposed to arthropods or animals. Also, compared to reports from China (19)(20)(21), the prevalences of infections in both the high-risk and low-risk populations investigated in this study were low. Currently, the source(s) and mode(s) of transmission of M. ovis-like organisms in U.S. veterinary professionals are unknown.…”

“…Regardless of the source or mode of transmission, veterinary professionals in the United States appear to be at risk for coinfections with M. ovis and B. henselae. Interestingly, in the previous reports involving people from other nations, the prevalences of hemotropic mycoplasma infection seem to be associated with sanitary conditions and the types of occupational groups analyzed (20,21). Poor sanitary conditions provide a good environment for breeding of mosquitoes (suspected to play an important role in the transmission of M. suis among swine) and other environmental situations potentially conducive to transmission, such as contact with contaminated blood from infected swine (21).…”

“…Based upon the visualization of organisms on stained blood smears only, researchers in Inner Mongolia, China, reported regional human hemotropic mycoplasma infection rates as high as 35.3% (population tested, 1,529 people), with infection rates of up to 57.0% in local pregnant women and 100% in newborns from infected mothers (19,20). Similarly, a high prevalence of infection was found among farmers and veterinarians working with swine in China, most specifically in Shanghai, where 32 of 65 workers (49%) were PCR positive for an M. suis-like infection (21).…”

“…Importantly, all three of these published reports from China support a greater risk of hemotropic mycoplasma infection among farmers, veterinarians, and other individuals who have frequent and close contact with domestic animals that serve as reservoir hosts. In addition to the evidence supporting vector transmission, poor sanitary settings appear to increase the risk of transmission (19)(20)(21).…”

Development and Application of a Universal Hemoplasma Screening Assay Based on the SYBR Green PCR Principle

“…This is especially important since hemotropic mycoplasmas are thought to be transmitted by blood-sucking arthropods such as ticks, fleas, and lice, given that these agents have been hypothesized to exhibit zoonotic potential. Some authors have described organisms with morphological similarities to hemotropic mycoplasmas in the blood of human patients (3,7,14,22,37). Furthermore, a recently published report demonstrating the molecular detection of a feline hemoplasma species in an immunocompromised human patient further substantiated the zoonotic potential of these agents (6).…”