Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ehrlichia infection in rural dogs from indigenous villages in Brazil
By Dantas-Torres, Filipe et al.·Published in Parasites & vectors·2018·Department of Immunology, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Ehrlichia spp. infection in rural dogs from remote indigenous villages in north-eastern Brazil.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs from rural indigenous villages in north-eastern Brazil were tested for a tick-borne infection called Ehrlichia canis, which can cause severe illness. Out of 300 dogs, over 70% showed signs of exposure to the bacteria, with many testing positive through blood tests. The study found that older dogs were more likely to be infected, and sick dogs had higher positivity rates compared to healthy ones. This highlights the importance of keeping dogs free from ticks to reduce the risk of serious infections.
People also search for: dog tick-borne disease symptoms · Ehrlichia canis treatment · how to prevent ticks on dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Ehrlichia canis is a tick-borne bacterium that causes severe, life-threatening disease in dogs, being more prevalent in tropical and subtropical countries. Randomized studies conducted in Brazil indicate that the prevalence of E. canis infection in dogs ranges from 0.7% to over 50.0%. In a study conducted in northern Brazil, the prevalence was higher in dogs from urban areas, as compared to dogs from rural areas. In the present study, we investigated the exposure to Ehrlichia spp. infection in dogs from remote indigenous villages located in a rural area in north-eastern Brazil. METHODS: From March to June 2015, 300 privately owned dogs were blood sampled and tested by a rapid ELISA and by a conventional PCR in order to detect anti-Ehrlichia spp. antibodies and E. canis DNA, respectively. Additionally, dogs were also tested for anti-Anaplasma spp. antibodies and Anaplasma platys DNA, using the same diagnostic approaches. Positivity was correlated with tick infestation and dogs' data (gender, age and level of restriction). RESULTS: Overall, 212 (70.7%) dogs were positive for at least one test targeting Ehrlichia spp. In particular, 173 (57.7%) dogs were positive only by rapid ELISA, 5 (1.7%) only by PCR and 34 (11.4%) were simultaneously positive by both tests. In the same way, 39 (13.0%) dogs presented detectable E. canis DNA in their blood, whereas 18 (6.0%) dogs were A. platys DNA-positive. Coupling serological and PCR data, 63 (21.0%) dogs were simultaneously positive to Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. Positivity rates for both Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. were higher among dogs more than 1 year of age. Sick dogs were more positive to Ehrlichia spp. as compared to healthy dogs. CONCLUSIONS: Dogs from rural areas in north-eastern Brazil are highly exposed to Ehrlichia spp. infection and positivity rates do not necessarily correlate with current tick infestation load, since only one infected tick bite is needed to get the infection. This reinforces the importance of keeping dogs free of ticks, in order to reduce as much as possible the risk of infection by E. canis and other tick-borne pathogens such as Babesia vogeli, which are usually co-endemic.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29554954/