Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ehrlichia canis and ewingii infections found in Cameroonian dogs
By Ndip, L M et al.·Published in Veterinary microbiology·2005·Department of Life Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ehrlichial infection in Cameroonian canines by Ehrlichia canis and Ehrlichia ewingii.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in Cameroon were found to have a common tick-borne infection called ehrlichiosis, caused by the bacteria Ehrlichia canis and Ehrlichia ewingii. Out of 104 dogs examined, 33 showed signs of exposure to E. canis, and 17 tested positive for the bacteria's DNA, all of which had ticks attached to them at the time. Symptoms of ehrlichiosis can include fever, lethargy, and loss of appetite, but specific symptoms were not detailed in this study. This research highlights the need for awareness and testing for ehrlichiosis in dogs in Cameroon, as it appears to be a significant health issue.
People also search for: dog tick disease symptoms · ehrlichiosis in dogs treatment · Cameroon dog health issues
Abstract
Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Ehrlichia ewingii are agents of emerging human ehrlichioses in North America and are transmitted primarily by Amblyomma americanum ticks, while Ehrlichia canis is the globally distributed cause of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) and is transmitted by the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Although E. canis and Ehrlichia ruminantium are endemic in Africa, the presence of ehrlichial agents in dogs and ticks in Cameroon has not been investigated. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of ehrlichial infections in Cameronian dogs using a combination of serologic and molecular methods. Peripheral blood was collected, clinical signs and the presence or absence of ticks on dogs (n=104) presenting for various reasons at local veterinary clinics around the Mount Cameroon region were noted. IFA identified 33 dogs (32%) with antibodies reactive with E. canis, and reactivity of these sera with all major E. canis antigens (200, 140, 95, 75, 47, 36, 28, and 19-kDa) was confirmed by immunoblotting. Multicolor real-time PCR detected ehrlichial DNA (E. canis (15) and E. ewingii (2)) in 17 dogs (16.3%), all of which had attached ticks at time of presentation. The dsb amplicons (378 bp) from E. canis and E. ewingii were identical to gene sequences from North American isolates. This study identifies canine ehrlichiosis as a prevalent unrecognized cause of disease in Cameroonian canines.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16181750/