anaplasma

an·a·plas·ma .an-ə-'plaz-mə n

1) cap a genus of bacteria of the family Anaplasmataceae that are found in the red blood cells of ruminants, resemble small masses of chromatin without cytoplasm, are transmitted by biting arthropods, and cause anaplasmosis

2) pl -ma·ta -mət-ə or -mas any bacterium of the genus Anaplasma

* * *

Ana·plas·ma (an″ə-plazґmə) [Gr. anaplasma something without form] a genus of tick-borne bacteria of the family Anaplasmataceae, consisting of small, gram-negative, often pleomorphic, coccoid to ellipsoidal cells that are nonmotile and non–spore-forming. Organisms are parasitic in cells of the hematopoietic system and associated tissues, occurring in cytoplasmic vacuoles and often forming inclusion bodies (morulae); they cause disease in canids, ruminants, and humans. The type species is A. marginaґle.