Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Molecular proof of Ehrlichia canis-like infection in cats with joint
By Breitschwerdt, Edward B et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2002·ed_breitschwerdt@ncsu.edu·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Molecular evidence supporting Ehrlichia canis-like infection in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Three cats were found to have symptoms similar to a tick-borne disease called ehrlichiosis, including joint pain in one cat and blood issues like anemia in the others. Despite showing these symptoms, they did not have the typical antibodies usually associated with the disease. Testing revealed that the DNA from their blood matched that of the bacteria known to cause ehrlichiosis in dogs. One cat was treated with doxycycline, but the effectiveness may have been reduced due to concurrent corticosteroid treatment. This research suggests that more testing is needed to fully understand how this infection affects cats.
People also search for: cat joint pain · cat blood issues · doxycycline for cat ehrlichiosis · why is my cat anemic · cat tick-borne disease symptoms
Abstract
Currently, the pathogenic role of Ehrlichia canis in cats has been proposed predominantly on the basis of the serologic evidence of natural infection and the infrequent detection of morulae-like structures within the cytoplasm of leukocytes in cats. The purpose of this report was to provide molecular evidence supporting E. canis-like infection in 3 cats that had clinical manifestations consistent with canine ehrlichiosis but lacked antibodies to E. canis antigens. Serum from all 3 cats contained antinuclear antibodies (ANAs). The predominant disease manifestation was polyarthritis in 1 cat and bone marrow hypoplasia or dysplasia. accompanied by pancytopenia or anemia and thrombocytopenia, in 1 cat each. The alignment of E. canis partial 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA: 382 nucleotide positions), amplified from EDTA blood samples from each cat, was identical to each other and was identical to a canine isolate of E. canis (GenBank accession number AF373613). In 1 cat, concurrent treatment with corticosteroids may have interfered with the therapeutic effectiveness of doxycycline for the elimination of E. canis-like infection. To further define the spectrum of ehrlichiosis in cats, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing may be necessary until serologic testing is thoroughly validated in experimentally or naturally infected cats. In addition, until E. canis has been isolated from cats and several tissue culture isolates are available from disparate geographic regions for detailed comparative genetic study, the molecular evidence presented in this study supporting E. canis-like infection in cats must be interpreted with caution.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12465759/