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. 2021 Aug;27(8):2154-2162.
doi: 10.3201/eid2708.210133.

Epidemiology and Spatial Emergence of Anaplasmosis, New York, USA, 2010‒2018

Alexis Russell, Melissa Prusinski, Jamie Sommer, Collin O'Connor, Jennifer White, Richard Falco, John Kokas, Vanessa Vinci, Wayne Gall, Keith Tober, Jamie Haight, JoAnne Oliver, Lisa Meehan, Lee Ann Sporn, Dustin Brisson, P Bryon Backenson

Epidemiology and Spatial Emergence of Anaplasmosis, New York, USA, 2010‒2018

Alexis Russell et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis, a tickborne disease caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum, was first identified during 1994 and is now an emerging public health threat in the United States. New York state (NYS) has experienced a recent increase in the incidence of anaplasmosis. We analyzed human case surveillance and tick surveillance data collected by the NYS Department of Health for spatiotemporal patterns of disease emergence. We describe the epidemiology and growing incidence of anaplasmosis cases reported during 2010-2018. Spatial analysis showed an expanding hot spot of anaplasmosis in the Capital Region, where incidence increased >8-fold. The prevalence of A. phagocytophilum increased greatly within tick populations in the Capital Region over the same period, and entomologic risk factors were correlated with disease incidence at a local level. These results indicate that anaplasmosis is rapidly emerging in a geographically focused area of NYS, likely driven by localized changes in exposure risk.

Keywords: Anaplasma phagocytophilum; Ixodes scapularis; New York; United States; anaplasmosis; bacteria; epidemiology; geographical information systems; public health surveillance; space‒time clustering; spatial emergence; spatio-temporal analysis; tick-borne diseases; tick-borne infections; ticks; zoonoses.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Anaplasmosis incidence by state region, New York, USA, 2010–2018.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Anaplasmosis cases by month of diagnosis and case status, New York, USA, 2010–2018.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Epidemiology and spatial emergence of anaplasmosis, New York, USA, 2010‒2018. A) Incidence by ZIP code tabulation area, odd years, 2011–2017. B) Getis-Ord Gi* hot spots (https://pro.arcgis.com) and adult Ixodes scapularis tick ERI, odd years, 2011–2017. Conf., confidence; ERI, entomologic risk index.
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