Abstract
An epidemiological study of Ehrlichia canis infection in dogs in Peninsular Malaysia was carried out using molecular detection techniques. A total of 500 canine blood samples were collected from veterinary clinics and dog shelters. Molecular screening by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using genus-specific primers followed by PCR using E. canis species-specific primers. Ten out of 500 dogs were positive for E. canis. A phylogenetic analysis of the E. canis Malaysia strain showed that it was grouped tightly with other E. canis strains from different geographic regions. The present study revealed for the first time, the presence of genetically confirmed E. canis with a prevalence rate of 2.0% in naturally infected dogs in Malaysia.
Highlights
Ehrlichia canis is a gram-negative obligatory intracellular bacterium with a tropism for monocytes and macrophages in the family Anaplasmataceae and order Rickettsiales [1,2]
E. canis is transmitted by the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus [3,4]
The only published investigation based on detection of E. canis via light microscopic examination of peripheral blood films was carried out over 25 years ago revealing a prevalence rate of only 0.2% in dogs, and recently the prevalence of E. canis infection was determined to be 15% in Perak state of Malaysia using indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) [20,21]
Summary
Ehrlichia canis is a gram-negative obligatory intracellular bacterium with a tropism for monocytes and macrophages in the family Anaplasmataceae and order Rickettsiales [1,2]. Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) caused by E. canis is a tick-borne disease of dogs. E. canis is transmitted by the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus [3,4]. The disease was first described in 1935 in Algeria, as a febrile sickness associated with leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, depression and anemia in several dogs [1]. Some closely related pathogens, including Ehrlichia ewingii, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Neorickettsia risticii, are shown to cause similar clinical and hematological manifestations in dogs as well [2,5]. E. canis is responsible for the most common and clinically severe form of canine ehrlichiosis, and may be a cause of human ehrlichiosis [6,7]
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