Abstract
This study investigated the epidemiology of canine ehrlichiosis in Northeastern Brazil, focusing the identification of the Ehrlichia species and vectors involved. Samples were collected from 472 domestic dogs residing in the health districts of Cajazeiras and Itapuã of Salvador city. The average prevalence of antibodies reactive to E. canis by immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) (titer ≥ 1:80) was 35.6% (168/472). Blood samples from the E. canis-seropositive animals were tested by nested PCR in order to identify the Ehrlichia species responsible for the infection. Among the seropositives, 58 (34.5%) were found to be PCR-positive for E. canis. Ticks were found in 32 dogs. Nested-PCR analysis showed that 21.9% (7/32) of the Rhipicephalus sanguineus were infected by E. canis. In both dogs and Rhipicephalus sanguineus, nested-PCR for E. ewingii and E. chaffeensis was negative, with no amplification of DNA fragment.
Highlights
Canine ehrlichiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by an obligatory intracellular Gram-negative bacteria of mononuclear cells (MURPHY et al, 1998; SKOTARCZACK, 2003)
Among seropositive samples (n = 168), the nested-PCR test for E. canis, E. chaffeensis, and E. ewingii revealed a positivity of 34.5% (58/168) for E. canis
This study demonstrates the presence of antibodies against E. canis in dogs from Salvador, Bahia, with similar results to other Brazilian studies
Summary
Canine ehrlichiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by an obligatory intracellular Gram-negative bacteria of mononuclear cells (MURPHY et al, 1998; SKOTARCZACK, 2003). Species of the genus Ehrlichia such as E. canis, E. chaffeensis, and E. ewingii are responsible for disease in dogs and humans (DUMLER et al, 2001). Both Ehrlichia canis and E. ewingii are involved in canine infections, but only the first has worldwide distribution, a reflection of the primary vector, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (RIKIHISA, 1991; BREITSCHWERDT; HEGARTY; HANCOCK, 1998a; DUMLER et al, 2001). E. ewingii is limited to the United States, but has been identified in Amblyomma americanum, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, and Dermacentor variabilis ticks (MURPHY et al, 1998), making its distribution potentially similar to that of these vectors. The main vector of E. chaffeensis www.cbpv.com.br/rbpv
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