Abstract
Examination of ticks collected from ehrlichiosis positive dogs revealed the occurrence of Rhipicephalus sanguineus. The distribution of ehrlichiosis in dogs is related to the spreading of vectors. Ehrlichia canis is the etiologic agent of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) and recognized as the most prevalent tick-borne disease affecting dogs and is transmitted by the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus with an expanding global distribution. Infection of the vertebrate host occurred when an infected tick ingested a blood meal which in turn contaminated the feeding site with its salivary secretion. Blood transfusions from infected donors can also transmit the organisms. Hence, identification of ticks is necessary to detect the disease affecting dogs.
Highlights
Ehrlichial diseases have emerged as significant problems for human and animals over the past two decades [1–3]
Bashir et al [25] from Pakistan reported 96.8% of the ticks were identified as R. sanguineus and the remaining identified as Dermacentor and Haemaphysalis species
The ticks collected from different sites of the dogs suffering from ehrlichiosis were identified as R. sanguineus based on specific morphological features viz. the reddish brown scutum and conscutum, slightly convex shaped eyes, hexagonal basis capitulum, bifid first coxae, posterior “U” shaped genital aperture and the presence of adanal glands [9]
Summary
Ehrlichial diseases have emerged as significant problems for human and animals over the past two decades [1–3]. Canine ehrlichiosis or tropical pancytopenia is an acute, subacute or chronic tick borne disease caused by E. canis which is a Gram-negative intracellular bacterium [7] which occurs in tropical and subtropical regions due to its geographical distribution of its vector tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus [8]. This disease is characterized clinically by anorexia, fever, vomiting, loss of weight, enlargement of the liver, spleen and lymph nodes, epistaxis, superficial bleeding and thrombocytopenia [9]. Ticks are the most important ectoparasites in tropical and sub-tropical areas They are responsible for severe economic losses either through direct effects of blood sucking or indirectly as vectors of pathogens and toxins. The molecular taxonomy associated with conventional morphological cataloging will be useful to obtain a more homogeneous and independent criterion for classification, in the short term this may not be obvious
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