Immune competence restoration after therapy with imidocarb dipropionate and doxycycline in dogs naturally infected with anaplasma phagocytophilum, agent of canine granulocytic anaplasmosis, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Canine granulocytic anaplasmosis is a tick-borne zoonotic disease caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum that infect myeloid cells, primary neutrophils, of the host, including humans, dogs and many wildlife species. Anaplasmosis is often described as an immuno-suppressive condition characterized by leucopenia, neutropenia, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia and non regenerative anemia that predispose to secondary infections. However, the level of such alterations and the type of associated secondary infections are rarely mentioned in literature. In order to provide numerical data on the condition we evaluated the presence and severity of secondary conditions and the degree of leucopenia, neutropenia, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia and anemia recognizable in 15 cases of 376 May Vanneza Pico and Walter Tarello canine anaplasmosis observed in Dubai. Cellular immune-suppression was seen in all cases. Specific therapy for anaplasmosis, including 4 weekly injections of imidocarb dipropionate and a daily administration of 10 mg/kg of doxycycline for 21 days, was capable to restore the immune competence within 3 weeks, confirming that immunesuppression was due to anaplasmosis only. Secondary conditions noticed more often were demodicosis, ringworm and Malassezia yeast infection. Therapy for anaplasmosis significantly helped their elimination. In this presentation, we produce numeric data on the immunological defects expressed by canine anaplasmosis by using its specific therapy as a probe.