Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ehrlichia infection antibodies found in 20% of dogs in Yamaguchi Japan
By Watanabe, Malaika et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2004·Faculty of Agriculture, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Seroepidemiological study of canine ehrlichial infections in Yamaguchi prefecture and surrounding areas of Japan.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 150 dogs from Yamaguchi, Japan, were tested for infections caused by a type of bacteria called Ehrlichia, which can be spread by ticks. Out of these dogs, 30 showed signs of exposure to the bacteria, with 15 having higher levels of antibodies specifically for Ehrlichia canis, indicating a possible infection. This study is the first to provide evidence that dogs in Japan can be infected with these bacteria. If your dog has been exposed to ticks and shows symptoms like fever or lethargy, it's important to talk to your vet about testing and treatment options.
People also search for: dog tick disease symptoms · Ehrlichia canis treatment for dogs · signs of tick infection in dogs
Abstract
Randomly selected serum samples from 150 dogs from Yamaguchi and neighbouring prefectures were subjected to the indirect immunofluorescent assay to detect antibodies against Ehrlichia canis, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Ehrlichia muris and Ehrlichia from Ixodes ovatus. A total of 30 out of the 150 serum samples reacted with at least one of the antigens at a titer of 1:20 or more. Considerable cross-reactivity was seen and most samples reacted with at least two different antigens. Fifteen (10.0%) dogs had higher titers to E. canis than any of the other antigens. Four (2.7%) dogs had higher titers to Ehrlichia from Ixodes ovatus and one (0.6%) dog had higher titers to E. muris compared to the other antigens. The findings suggest that these five dogs may be infected with the domestic Ehrlichia of Japan. The remaining ten dogs had similar high titers to two or more of the antigens. This is the first serological evidence obtained of canine infection with the domestic Ehrlichia of Japan.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15350665/