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ARS Home » Plains Area » Kerrville, Texas » Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory » Cattle Fever Tick Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #370779
Research Project: Integrated Pest Management of Cattle Fever Ticks

Location: Cattle Fever Tick Research Unit

Title: Ehrlichia canis in dogs of Mexico: Prevalence, incidence, co-infection and factors associated

Author
item OJEDA-CHI, MELINA - Non ARS Employee
item RODRIGUEZ-VIVAS, ROGER - Non ARS Employee
item ESTEVE-GASSENT, MARIA - Texas A&M University
item Perez De Leon, Adalberto - Beto
item MODARELLI, JOSEPH - Non ARS Employee
item VILLEGAS-PEREZ, SANDRA - Non ARS Employee

Submitted to: Comparative Immunology Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/30/2019
Publication Date: 9/5/2019
Citation: Ojeda-Chi, M., Rodriguez-Vivas, R., Esteve-Gassent, M., Perez De Leon, A.A., Modarelli, J., Villegas-Perez, S. 2019. Ehrlichia canis in dogs of Mexico: Prevalence, incidence, co-infection and factors associated. Comparative Immunology Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. 67:101351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cimid.2019.101351.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cimid.2019.101351

Interpretive Summary: Infections in dogs by the group of bacteria known as Rickettsiales was investigated. Several of these bacterial species are tick-borne. Blood samples from 246 dogs in Mexico were screened for infection using a molecular assay. The cumulative incidence of infection with Ehrlichia canis was 38%. One dog was co-infected with E. canis and Rickettsia parkeri.

Technical Abstract: Rickettsial infections in dogs of Mexico were investigated. A total of 246 dogs were blood sampled and initially screened to detect Ehrlichia canis, E. chaffeensis, E. ewingii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia rickettsii by a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay. Sixty-five dogs were monitored and sampled twice 7-8 months apart. Using the qPCR, 72 positive dogs to E. canis were detected (prevalence of 29.26%). These dogs were also tested by nested PCR to detect the same pathogens. None of the studied dogs were positive to E. chaffeensis, E. ewingii, R. rickettsii nor A. phagocytophilum by both PCR assays. The cumulative incidence of E. canis infection was 38.46%. Sequencing analysis of the nested PCR products revealed 100% and 98.1% identity of E. canis and R. parkeri, respectively. We found a dog co-infected with E. canis and R. parkeri.