Preliminary study of natural reservoirs as sentinels of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis in Soria, northern Spain

The serum of foxes and red deer from the Province of Soria (northern Spain) was screened in indirect immunofluorescence assays to determine whether these animals could be used as sentinels of the tick-borne pathogens Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis. The results suggest that foxes and red deer would not make good sentinels in epidemiological studies on E. chaffeensis in this region, although red deer could be used as such for the study of A. phagocytophilum transmission.