Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Link Between Ehrlichia canis Infection and Brown Dog Tick in Argentina
By Sebastian, Patrick S et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2021·Estació·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Epidemiological link between canine monocytic ehrlichiosis caused by Ehrlichia canis and the presence of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu stricto in Argentina.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 1-year-old toy poodle was brought to the vet showing signs of illness related to canine monocytic ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne disease caused by the bacteria Ehrlichia canis. Blood tests revealed the presence of the bacteria, and it was found in a tick collected from the dog. This suggests that the common brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, is likely a significant carrier of this disease in certain areas of Argentina. Treatment typically involves antibiotics, and with prompt care, many dogs can recover well from this infection.
People also search for: dog ehrlichiosis symptoms · toy poodle tick disease · Ehrlichia canis treatment for dogs
Abstract
In this work, we analyze data that support an epidemiological link between cases of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) by Ehrlichia canis and the presence of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu stricto as vector in an endemic area for this tick in Argentina. In a blood sample of a 1-year-old toy poodle with CME compatible clinical signs, which showed CME typical morulae in monocytes in Giemsa-stained blood smear, DNA of E. canis was detected by PCR. Further, DNA of E. canis was also detected in a female of R. sanguineus s.s. collected on the infected dog. Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.s. is the only member of the R. sanguineus group that prevails in the study area. The results of this study suggest that R. sanguineus s.s. may play a more important role in the transmission of E. canis than it was assumed so far. The epidemiological link between CME cases and R. sanguineus s.s. as vector in temperate areas of Argentina described in this work contrast previous studies which found that R. sanguineus sensu lato "tropical lineage" (which is absent in the study area) is competent to transmit E. canis but not R. sanguineus s.s.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33415399/