Development and Validation of Real-Time PCR for Detecting Anaplasma bovis-Like Agent in Dermacentor spp. Ticks

We developed and validated a real-time PCR to detect an Anaplasma bovis-like agent. We applied that assay to 672 Dermacentor spp. ticks collected from across the United States and found 0.1% A. bovis-like agent prevalence. This assay could enhance epidemiologic surveys for this A. bovis-like agent in ticks and humans.