Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Clinic and lab findings in 41 dogs infected with Ehrlichia ewingii
By Qurollo, Barbara A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2019·Comparative Medicine Institute·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinicopathological findings in 41 dogs (2008-2018) naturally infected with Ehrlichia ewingii.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 41 dogs infected with Ehrlichia ewingii, a tick-borne disease, showed symptoms like fever, joint pain, and lameness. Many of these dogs also had other health issues, including kidney disease and immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, which can cause the body to attack its own red blood cells. Blood tests revealed various abnormalities, such as high liver enzymes and protein in the urine. Treatment for Ehrlichia typically involves antibiotics, but the study suggests that these dogs may need additional care for their other health problems as well.
People also search for: dog joint pain · Ehrlichia ewingii treatment · dog kidney disease symptoms · immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Ehrlichia ewingii is the most seroprevalent Ehrlichia-infecting dogs in the southern and mid-western United States. Fever, lameness, and polyarthritis are commonly reported findings in dogs naturally infected with E. ewingii. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate clinicopathologic findings in a population of dogs naturally infected with E. ewingii. ANIMALS: Forty-one dogs PCR positive for E. ewingii and PCR negative for other targeted vector-borne organisms. METHODS: Retrospective study. Clinical and clinicopathologic data including physical examination findings, CBC, serum biochemistry, urinalysis (UA), symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), and vector-borne disease diagnostic results were reviewed. RESULTS: Frequent clinical diagnoses other than ehrlichiosis (28/41; 68.3%) were renal disease (7/41; 17.1%) and immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) (6/41; 14.6%). The most frequent physical examination finding was joint pain (14/41; 34.1%). Prominent hematologic and biochemical abnormalities included abnormal lymphocyte counts (22/36; 61.1%); neutrophilia (21/37; 56.8%); increased alkaline phosphatase (20/35; 57.1%) and alanine transaminase (14/35; 40%) activities; and increased SDMA concentration (11/34; 32.4%). Urinalysis abnormalities included proteinuria (20/27; 74%), most with inactive sediments (16/20; 80%). Dogs were seroreactive by Ehrlichia canis immunofluorescence assay (IFA; 17/39; 43.6%) and Ehrlichia ELISA (34/41; 82.9%). Seroreactivity by IFA for other vector-borne pathogens included Bartonella (1/39; 2.6%), Rickettsia rickettsii (spotted-fever group rickettsiae) (12/39; 30.8%), and Borrelia burgdorferi by ELISA (1/41; 2.4%). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Renal disease, IMHA, proteinuria, neutrophilia, abnormal lymphocytes, and increased liver enzyme activities were common in this group of E. ewingii-infected dogs. Studies are needed to determine if E. ewingii contributes to comorbidities or is a precipitating factor in clinical syndromes in persistently infected dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30604457/