Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Anaplasma platys infection causing anemia in dogs from Central Italy
By Antognoni, Maria Teresa et al.·Published in Veterinaria italiana·2014·Department of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Natural infection of Anaplasma platys in dogs from Umbria region (Central Italy).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Three dogs from Central Italy were diagnosed with a tick-borne infection called Anaplasma platys, which can cause a condition known as Infectious Canine Cyclic Thrombocytopenia. Symptoms included low platelet counts and, in two of the dogs, immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, which is a condition where the body attacks its own red blood cells. The infections were confirmed through blood tests that showed the presence of the bacteria. This case highlights the need for veterinarians to consider Anaplasma platys in their diagnosis of tick-borne diseases, even in areas where it was previously thought to be uncommon.
People also search for: dog tick-borne disease symptoms · Anaplasma platys treatment · immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in dogs
Abstract
Anaplasma platys is a tick-borne pathogen causing the Infectious Canine Cyclic Thrombocytopenia. The pathogenesis of this disease is not yet well understood, due to the wide variety of clinico-pathological patterns described worldwide and to the high prevalence of co-infections with other vector-borne pathogens occurring in endemic areas. The present paper reports 3 cases of infection by A. platys occurring in dogs native to Central Italy, considered a non-endemic area to date. Infections were initially diagnosed based on clinical data and observation of morulae within platelets and then confirmed by biomolecular techniques. Moreover, two dogs showed an immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, as yet not described in literature in association with A. platys infection. The symptoms and the pathological findings observed will be discussed, as well as the importance to include this pathogen in the differential diagnosis of tick-borne diseases even in Central Italy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24715593/