Prevalence of Ehrlichia canis infection in thrombocytopenic dogs from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
BACKGROUND: Infection with Ehrlichia canis causes a highly variable, multisystemic disease in dogs. Nevertheless, many clinicians in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, use the presence of only thrombocytopenia to make a presumptive diagnosis of E canis infection
| Publié dans: | Veterinary clinical pathology. - 1975. - 34(2005), 1 vom: 04., Seite 44-8 |
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| Auteur principal: | |
| Autres auteurs: | , , , , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Langue: | English |
| Publié: |
2005
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| Accès à la collection: | Veterinary clinical pathology |
| Sujets: | Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
| Résumé: | BACKGROUND: Infection with Ehrlichia canis causes a highly variable, multisystemic disease in dogs. Nevertheless, many clinicians in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, use the presence of only thrombocytopenia to make a presumptive diagnosis of E canis infection OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of E canis in thrombocytopenic dogs from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) METHODS: Following DNA extraction of whole blood samples from 226 dogs, PCR assays were done using primers for rickettsial DNA (including Ehrlichia spp, Anaplasma platys and A phagocytophilum) and using E canis-specific primers (16S rRNA gene). Dogs were grouped as thrombocytopenic and nonthrombocytopenic based on platelet counts. The null hypothesis that there was no difference in the prevalence of E canis in these groups was rejected at P<.05 RESULTS: Thirty-six (32.1%) of the thrombocytopenic dogs and 4 (3.5%) of the nonthrombocytopenic dogs were positive for rickettsial gene sequences (P<.0001). Further, 30 (26.8%) of thrombocytopenic dogs and 4 (3.5%) nonthrombocytopenic dogs were positive for E canis-specific gene sequences (P<.0001) CONCLUSIONS: Although the prevalence of E canis infection was higher in thrombocytopenic dogs, less than one third of these dogs had demonstrable E canis infection. Thus, thrombocytopenia is not specific for the detection of E canis infection and should not be used solely to establish a diagnosis of canine ehrlichiosis, even in a geographic area with relatively high disease prevalence |
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| Description: | Date Completed 28.06.2005 Date Revised 08.04.2022 published: Print Citation Status MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1939-165X |