Name: Anaplasma phagocytophilum corrig. (Foggie 1949) Dumler et al. 2001

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: "Rickettsia phagocytophila" Foggie 1949

Etymology: pha.go.cy.to’phi.lum. N.L. neut. n. phagocytum, a phagocyte; from Gr. inf. v. phageîn, to eat up, devour; from Gr. neut. n. kytos, hollow, a vessel and, in biology, a cell; N.L. neut. adj. suff. -philum, friend, loving; from Gr. neut. adj. philon, friend; N.L. neut. adj. phagocytophilum, phagocytes loving, intended to mean attractive to phagocytes

Pronunciation, gender: p^ha-go-ky-TO-p^hi-lum, neuter

Type strain: no culture isolated; Webster

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: U02521 Analyse FASTA

Valid publication: Dumler JS, Barbet AF, Bekker CP, Dasch GA, Palmer GH, Ray SC, Rikihisa Y, Rurangirwa FR. Reorganization of genera in the families Rickettsiaceae and Anaplasmataceae in the order Rickettsiales: unification of some species of Ehrlichia with Anaplasma, Cowdria with Ehrlichia and Ehrlichia with Neorickettsia, descriptions of six new species combinations and designation of Ehrlichia equi and 'HGE agent' as subjective synonyms of Ehrlichia phagocytophila. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2001; 51:2145-2165.

IJSEM list: Anonymous. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 51, part 6 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2002; 52:5-6.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

Taxonomic status: correct name (and explicitly recommended for medical use)

Risk group: 2

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Anaplasma phagocytophila (Foggie 1949) Dumler et al. 2001	other spelling of name, inaccurate spelling
    "Rickettsia phagocytophila" Foggie 1949	homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists
    Ehrlichia equi Lewis et al. 1988	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    Ehrlichia phagocytophila (Foggie 1949) Philip 1962 (Approved Lists 1980)	homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP

• Notes:
  • ⏰ According to Dumler et al. (2001), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Ehrlichia equi Lewis et al. 1988. Publication: Dumler JS, Barbet AF, Bekker CP, Dasch GA, Palmer GH, Ray SC, Rikihisa Y, Rurangirwa FR. Reorganization of genera in the families Rickettsiaceae and Anaplasmataceae in the order Rickettsiales: unification of some species of Ehrlichia with Anaplasma, Cowdria with Ehrlichia and Ehrlichia with Neorickettsia, descriptions of six new species combinations and designation of Ehrlichia equi and 'HGE agent' as subjective synonyms of Ehrlichia phagocytophila. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2001; 51:2145-2165.
  • 😷 The risk group for Belgium has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "human and animal pathogen - biological class of risk animal: 2". — The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "Animal classification RG: 3 - Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No - Containment level: Containment Level 3". — The risk group for Swiss Confederation has been imported on 2024-02-01. The full classification is: risk group = 2. — The risk group for Germany has been imported on 2023-10-29. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "ht". — The risk group for Taiwan has been imported on 2024-11-03. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "P650 = v". — If in doubt, use the risk group given in the regulations for your country and, if these are not available, use the risk group given in the catalogue of the culture collection from which you have obtained or intend to obtain the strain.
  • 🎓 Name mentioned 2334 times in PubMed until 2025-06-04.
  • 🙆 This name is on the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance (LoRN) as the name to be applied to this species. The name is on LoRN because of the recorded risk group of the species itself.
  • 🧍 According to Bartlett et al. (2022), this species is an established human pathogen. Publication: Bartlett A, Padfield D, Lear L, Bendall R, Vos M. A comprehensive list of bacterial pathogens infecting humans. Microbiology (Reading) 2022; 168:0.
  • 🧍 The phylogenetic position of this species was determined in a genome-scale analysis by Hördt et al. (2020). Publication: Hordt A, Lopez MG, Meier-Kolthoff JP, Schleuning M, Weinhold LM, Tindall BJ, Gronow S, Kyrpides NC, Woyke T, Goker M. Analysis of 1,000+ Type-Strain Genomes Substantially Improves Taxonomic Classification of Alphaproteobacteria. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:468.
  • 🧍 The question is whether this name is validly published, as no culture was deposited in a collection but this is a requirement for valid publication after 31 December 2000 as stipulated by Rule 30(3)(b) and no exception was made known at the time of publication according to the Note to Rule 30(3)(b). Thus despite its publication in the IJSEM and its inclusion in a Notification List (which does not affect the status of a name anyway [Rule 27(3) Note 1]) this name would not be validly published. However, the name is a new combination for Ehrlichia phagocytophila (Foggie 1949) Philip 1962 (Approved Lists 1980), which was not based on a viable culture, hence Rule 30(3)(b) does not apply. Publication: Oren A, Arahal DR, Goker M, Moore ERB, Rossello-Mora R, Sutcliffe IC. International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. Prokaryotic Code (2022 Revision). Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2023; 73:5585.
  • 🧍 The original spelling of the specific epithet, phagocytophila (sic), has been corrected by the List Editor, IJSEM. Publication: Anonymous. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 51, part 6 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2002; 52:5-6.

Parent taxon: Anaplasma Theiler 1910 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Dumler JS, Barbet AF, Bekker CP, Dasch GA, Palmer GH, Ray SC, Rikihisa Y, Rurangirwa FR. Reorganization of genera in the families Rickettsiaceae and Anaplasmataceae in the order Rickettsiales: unification of some species of Ehrlichia with Anaplasma, Cowdria with Ehrlichia and Ehrlichia with Neorickettsia, descriptions of six new species combinations and designation of Ehrlichia equi and 'HGE agent' as subjective synonyms of Ehrlichia phagocytophila. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2001; 51:2145-2165.

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Record number: 783380