Prevalence Of Ehrlichiosis Research Articles

Epidemiology of Canine Ehrlichiosis in Jabalpur Region of Madhya Pradesh, India

Numerous plant and animal species that are either directly or indirectly linked to tick-borne haemo-protozoan infections thrive in the tropical and subtropical climates of the Indian subcontinents. The climate in India is home to the brown dog tick or Rhipicephalus sanguineus, which is a carrier of the canine disease Ehrlichia. The main purpose of the study is to explore the prevalence and their risk factors associated with Canine Ehrlichiosis. For this 422 canines suspected for positive ehrlichiosis was examined through Giemsa stained thin blood smear and out of them 25 canine samples were found positive showed incidence rate of 5.92%. Prevalence of ehrlichiosis was more in summer season when compare in to winter and monsoon which might be due to high activity of tick vectors. Younger and male dogs showed higher prevalence in comparison to older and female canines. The clinical signs were tick infestation (96%), lymphadenopathy (80%), anorexia (76%), pyrexia (72%), anaemia (56%) and pale conjunctival mucous membrane (56%) along with epistaxis, lameness and ocular problem. This study identifies the present scenario and associated risk factors of the disease, which may help to reduce the infection of canine ehrlichiosis.

Molecular Evidence and Hematological Profile of Bovines Naturally Infected with Ehrlichiosis in Southern Punjab, Pakistan.

Ehrlichiosis is one of the tick-borne diseases, which is not only neglected in Pakistan but only a few reports have been documented throughout the globe. The purpose of this study is to highlight and report the neglected pathogen from bovines in Pakistan. In this study, the pathogen was detected initially based on microscopy, followed by the molecular confirmation and phylogenetic analysis of the pathogen from bovines from south Punjab, Pakistan. The hematological parameters were also assessed in Ehrlichia positive and negative animals. The information of different disease determinants was analyzed by a logistic regression model on SPSS. The study has reported an 11.98% (23/192) prevalence of Ehrlichiosis from bovines. The prevalence was slightly more in cattle (13.5%) as compared to the buffaloes (10.4%). The previous tick's history and tick control methods were proved to be the key factors with the occurrence of the disease. The isolates from Pakistan Ehrlichia spp. Pakistan/31, 36, and 8 clustered with the isolates from the USA, Nicaraguan, France, South Africa, and Uganda. Platelet count, hemoglobin level, and hematocrit were found significantly decreased in Ehrlichia affected animals when compared to the healthy bovines. This is the first report of ehrlichiosis from bovines in Pakistan and will provide the roadmap for future research.

Prevalence of canine tick-borne haemoparasites in three Divisional Secretariat Divisions (Rambewa, Tirappane, and Galenbidunuwewa) in the Anuradhapura district, Sri Lanka

Introduction and Objectives: Ticks act as the vector for transmission of many parasitic pathogens. Several tick-borne haemoparasite infections are widespread among canines in tropical countries. However, information is scarce regarding canine tick-borne infections in Sri Lanka. The present study was therefore carried out to identify the canine tick-borne haemoparasite species and thereby assess their prevalence in three Divisional Secretariat divisions in the Anuradhapura district. Materials and methods: Blood samples were collected from dogs in three Divisional Secretariat (DS) divisions namely, Rambewa, Tirappane, and Galenbindunuwewa in the Anuradhapura district, Sri Lanka. From each blood sample, two thin smears were prepared and stained with Giemsa. Stained slides were subsequently examined with a light microscope to detect haemoparasites. Results: Out of 319 blood samples, 139 were positive for haemoparasites. Of the positives, 51.61% were from Rambewa, 40.47% were from Galenbindunuwewa and 38.88% were from Tirappane. Three haemoprotozoan species, Hepatozoon canis, Babesia gibsoni, Babesia canis and one bacterial species, Ehrlichia canis were morphologically identified in the present study. Conclusions: Comparatively, the prevalence of ehrlichiosis (20.06%) and babesiosis (16.29%) were high in three DS divisions compared to the prevalence of H. canis infection (1.56%). The prevalence of the haemoprotozoan infections was significantly different among thee DS divisions (P

Canine Monocytic Ehrlichiosis among working dogs of organised kennels in India: A comprehensive analyses of clinico-pathology, serological and molecular epidemiological approach

Canine Monocytic Ehrlichiosis (CME) is a serious tick-borne rickettsial disease affecting canine populations globally. Besides few reports from stray and pet dogs from localised geographical regions (cities/towns/small states), a comprehensive study on prevalence of Ehrlichia canis (E. canis) among working dogs from different geo-climatic zones of India was pertinently lacking. Study of CME among these dog populations was thus carried out, encompassing clinical aspects and different diagnostic methodologies viz., microscopy, serology and molecular biology. During the two-year study period, clinical specimens from 225 cases suspected of canine ehrlichiosis were examined for clinical pathology and presence of the haemoparasites. Overall prevalence of ehrlichiosis by microscopic examination, commercial dot-ELISA kit and nested PCR assay was estimated to be 1.3%, 19.1% and 5.8%, respectively, which were found to be statistically significant by McNemar Chi squared test (p<0.05). It was also observed that possibly due to widespread use of doxycycline therapy in field, CME presently does not remain a potential threat which it uses to pose earlier. However, concurrent infections of E. canis and Babesia gibsoni were found to be mostly fatal. Keeping in view of high number of apparently healthy dogs (24) out of total positive cases (46) observed during the study, it is recommended that prevalence studies on CME should also involve screening of apparently healthy dogs. Phylogenetic analysis carried on partial sequencing of 16S rRNA of E. canis strains revealed that all of the Indian strains clustered in a single clade with other E. canis species from India and rest of the world. Molecular divergence was observed among the sequences of Brazilian and American isolates which were also included in the present study. These findings have thus opened a new paradigm for planning of pragmatic control strategies against CME.

Clinical and hematobiochemical response in canine monocytic ehrlichiosis seropositive dogs of Punjab.

Aim:As in India especially, the Punjab state sero-prevalence and distribution of ehrlichiosis in relation to clinico-hematobiochemical response remains largely unexplored. Thus, this study was designed to determine the prevalence of vector (tick)-borne tropical canine pancytopenia caused by Ehrlichia canis through enzyme labeled ImmunoComb® (IC) assay in dogs from in and around Ludhiana, Punjab. Correlation of prevalence was made with various clinico-hematobiochemical parameters.Materials and Methods:Seroprevalence study was carried out using IC® test kit (Biogal, Galed Labs). The study was conducted in 84 dogs presented to the Small Animal Clinics, Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab.Results:Out of 84 suspected dogs for ehrlichiosis, based on peripheral thin blood smear examination 12 (14.28%) cases were positive for the morulae of E. canis and 73 (86.90%) dogs were found positive to E. canis antibodies through IC® canine Ehrlichia antibody test kit, respectively. Among the different age groups 1-3 years of aged group showed highest prevalence (41.09%), followed by the 3-6 years age group (32.87%), infection levels were lower in the <1 year of age group dogs (13.69%) and more than 6 years age group dogs (12.32%). The highest prevalence was seen in Labrador retriever. This study indicates that season plays a very important role in the prevalence of ehrlichiosis. The most common findings observed were anemia, leukocytosis, neutropenia, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, eosinophilia followed by hyperbilirubinemia, increased levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase, hypoalbuminemia, hyperglobulinaemia, decrease in albumin and globulin ratio, increase in blood urea nitrogen and creatinine.Conclusions:Serological techniques like IC® are more useful for detecting chronic and subclinical infections and are ideally suited to epidemiological investigations.

Prevalence of Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in Indonesian Dogs

The brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) is the most common ectoparasites of dog in the world. The study of ticks infestation and tick-borne diseases on the dog is necessary, because this information still limited in Indonesia. Ticks and dog blood test sampling were done at Animal Police Directorate Security Agency (Baharkam) and Atang Sendjaja Air Force (ATS). In addition, ticks and cases on ticks infestation data were obtained from 21 veterinary clinics in Bogor, Jakarta and Bandung. All ticks samples were preserved in bottles containing 70% alcohol for identification, and dog blood tests performed for Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis and Anaplasmosis diagnosis. This research was done in March to December 2013. The results showed that all ticks samples collected from Baharkam dogs, ATS dogs and Veterinary Clinics in Bogor, Jakarta and Bandung were identified as one species, i.e., Rhipicephalus sanguineus. The prevalence of dogs infested by ticks were 67.90% in Baharkam 100% in ATS, and the prevalence in 21 Veterinary Clinic in Jakarta, Bogor, and Bandung from 2008-2013 tend to be increased every year. The tick predilections in Baharkam dogs distributed on the back regio (35.0%), the head, ears and neck (29.0%), the legs and the interdigital spaces (14.5%), the abdomen (10.9%) and the tail (10.9%). The tick larvae were found not only in the kennel but also on the grass field of Baharkam which often use for the training of police dogs. These places can be a source of transmission of tick infestation among dogs. The purebred and male dogs in Bogor, Jakarta and Bandung were more infested than the crossbred, local and female dogs. The prevalence of Ehrlichiosis on Baharkam dog was 12%, and 40% from ATS dogs. The results of blood smear examination on Baharkam dogs showed positive Babesia (8%) and Anaplasma (16%). There was no relationship between the degree of tick infestations to E. canis, Babesia and Anaplasma infections (p>0.05).