Abstract
Background and Aim:Ehrlichia canis is a well-known cause of both anemia and thrombocytopenia in dogs. There are insufficient epidemiological data on this blood parasite in Thailand and the association of infections with hematological abnormalities. This study aimed to analyze the molecular characteristics and to identify E. canis as well as the risk factors associated with E. canis infection in dogs in Khon Kaen, Thailand.Materials and Methods:Blood samples from 126 dogs that visited animal clinics were subjected to molecular detection using nested polymerase chain reaction for E. canis 16S rRNA gene. The risk factors and hematological profiles associated with the infection were analyzed using the logistic regression test in program SPSS version 19.Results:Forty-one dogs were infected, indicating a 32.5% molecular infection rate of E. canis. The factors significantly associated with E. canis infection include animal housing status, low packed cell volume, low red blood cell count, and low platelets (p<0.05). Ten positive samples were amplified, sequenced, and phylogenetically analyzed. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis confirmed the current ten samples as E. canis compared with reference sequences in GenBank, using the BLAST program hosted by NCBI, which showed 99.74-100% similarity.Conclusion:This study provided the first data of infection rate of E. canis using nested PCR and molecular characteristics of E. canis in randomly selected domestic dogs in Khon Kaen, Thailand.
Highlights
Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) is an infectious disease caused by Ehrlichia canis [1,2]
The factors significantly associated with E. canis infection include animal housing status, low packed cell volume, low red blood cell count, and low platelets (p
This study provided the first data of infection rate of E. canis using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and molecular characteristics of E. canis in randomly selected domestic dogs in Khon Kaen, Thailand
Summary
Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) is an infectious disease caused by Ehrlichia canis [1,2]. The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, is responsible for transmitting E. canis [7,8]. Ehrlichiosis is a febrile sickness associated with leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia in dogs [9]. E. canis infection in dogs induces various clinical presentations: Acute phase, subclinical phase, and chronic phases. It causes human infection [4,10]. Ehrlichia canis is a well-known cause of both anemia and thrombocytopenia in dogs. This study aimed to analyze the molecular characteristics and to identify E. canis as well as the risk factors associated with E. canis infection in dogs in Khon Kaen, Thailand
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