Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ehrlichia canis infection found in blood cells of two puppies
By Rahamim, Moran et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports·2021·Koret School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ehrlichia canis morulae in peripheral blood lymphocytes of two naturally-infected puppies in Israel.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two young puppies in Israel were found to have a rare form of Ehrlichia canis infection, which is a tick-borne disease that can cause serious health issues in dogs. Both puppies showed signs of infection, with blood tests revealing unusual inclusions in their lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. One puppy also had additional infections and liver issues, while the other had no other tick-borne diseases but suffered from a bacterial infection. The presence of the Ehrlichia canis morulae in their lymphocytes was unusual and may have been influenced by their young age and other health problems.
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Abstract
Ehrlichia canis is the major causative agent of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME). Its morulae might be detected during the acute disease phase, usually within peripheral blood monocytes, but were uncommonly described within peripheral blood lymphocytes. This report describes two unrelated puppies, naturally infected with E. canis. In both, examination of stained peripheral blood smears revealed one to several cytoplasmic inclusions, characteristic of typical E. canis morulae, exclusively within lymphocytes. Ehrlichia canis infection was confirmed in both cases by blood sample real-time PCR. Both dogs were young and had comorbidities. One dog, based on whole blood PCR, was co-infected with Anaplasma platys and Babesia vogeli. The other had no other concurrent tick-borne infection based on PCR, but had bacterial cholangiohepatitis. These comorbidities, and the dogs' young age possibly contributed to the uncommon presence of E. canis morulae within peripheral blood lymphocytes rather than their typical presence in monocytes.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34024371/