Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Lymphocyte changes in dogs infected with Ehrlichia canis
By Villaescusa, Alejandra et al.·Published in Ticks and tick-borne diseases·2012·Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of lymphocyte populations in dogs naturally infected by Ehrlichia canis with and without clinical signs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 28 dogs infected with Ehrlichia canis, a tick-borne disease, was studied to see how their immune systems responded. While 20 of the dogs had only abnormal lab results, 8 showed symptoms like pale gums, fever, swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, loss of appetite, and lethargy. The researchers looked at different types of immune cells in the dogs' blood but found no significant differences between those with and without symptoms. However, the dogs showing symptoms had slightly fewer B lymphocytes, which are important for fighting infections. Treatment details were not provided, but monitoring and supportive care are typically recommended for affected dogs.
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Abstract
Immune response elicited by the host during ehrlichial infections could influence the clinical signs and laboratory and pathological findings. Twenty-eight dogs naturally infected by Ehrlichia canis were included in this study. Twenty of them presented only laboratory findings traditionally associated with canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME), whilst 8 dogs also showed clinical signs classically associated with CME (pale mucous membranes, fever, lymphadenopathy, weight loss, anorexia, lethargy or signs attributable to bleeding tendencies). A multiparametric flow cytometric study was performed to analyze the distribution of the main lymphocyte subsets (T, Th, Tc, B, and those that express MHC class II) in the peripheral blood. Statistically significant differences between dogs naturally infected by E. canis in a clinical or subclinical stage were not detected when evaluating lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood samples. Dogs with clinical signs showed lower relative and absolute values of B lymphocytes than dogs without clinical signs, although the differences were not statistically significant.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23168046/