Research
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) supports research on ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis as well as other tickborne diseases. Research ranges from studying the basic biology of the microbes that cause these diseases to developing vaccines and better ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent the diseases.
Two years after anaplasmosis was first described in people, researchers supported by NIAID identified the bacterium that causes the disease. More recently, NIAID-supported researchers helped complete the genome sequences of both Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis. This information should facilitate efforts to develop preventive vaccines as well as new and improved diagnostics and treatments.