Molecular prevalence and risk factors for the occurrence of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis

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.

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“…Milanjeet [7] found 2.34% of cases to be positive for E. canis morulae in the same region of Punjab. Dhankar et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2017

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“…Canine ehrlichiosis is a rickettsial bacteria disease of dogs that has worldwide distribution (Engvall et al, 1996;McBride et al, 1996;Souza et al, 2010;Fourie et al, 2013;Milanjeet et al, 2014;Cardoso et al, 2016;Cicuttin et al, 2016;Kaewmongkol et al, 2016). Two forms of the disease are known in dogs and humans.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The prevalence and molecular characteristics of Ehrlichia canis have been studied extensively around the world (Suksawat et al, 2001;Unver et al, 2001;Vinasco et al, 2007;Aguiar et al, 2008;Harrus et al, 2011;Nazari et al, 2013;Milanjeet et al, 2014;Cardoso et al, 2016). One of these studies has revealed that more than one strain may exist in a region (Vinasco et al, 2007).…”

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confidence: 99%

Detection and molecular characterisation of Ehrlichia canis in naturally infected dogs in South West Nigeria

Daramola

Takeet

Oyewusi

et al. 2018

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica

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Canine ehrlichiosis is an important tick-borne rickettsial disease mainly caused by Ehrlichia canis. This study aimed to detect and characterise E. canis in dogs in Abeokuta, Nigeria by microscopy and nested PCR. Blood samples were collected from 205 dogs, thin smears were made, field-stained, and DNA was extracted from the blood samples. A partial region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced unidirectionally. Ehrlichial morulae were detected in three dogs (1.5%). The PCR test revealed that 47 dogs (22.9%) were positive for E. canis. The lengths of the sequences obtained range from 374 bp to 376 bp with an average G-C content of 37% and 98-99% homology with the reference sequences in GenBank. The aligned autochthonous sequences were less polymorphic. The phylogenetic analysis separated sequences reported previously in Nigeria from the autochthonous sequences. The present work shows that the strain of E. canis detected in the study area is genetically different from those reported in the northern part of Nigeria and more closely related to sequences from Brazil and India.

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“…The same group in their molecular studies through nested PCR in 2016 in the same city detected meagre 0.39% prevalence of E. canis DNA in pet dogs. Milanjeet et al (2014) from the same Ludhiana city reveals prevalence of 2.34% by microscopy and 41.59% by PCR. In a recent study from the same location by Kottadamane et al (2017), prevalence of 14.28% and 86.90% were reported by microscopy and serology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Till date, studies on CME from India have been carried out in small geographical locations (cities/towns/small states) and that too, they have been carried out either on pet or on stray dogs and somehow, majority of these studies fail to address the clinical and diagnostic challenges being presently posed by the disease (Juyal et al, 1994;Samaradni et al, 2003;Lakshmanan et al, 2006;Wise and Tarlinton, 2012;Abd Rani et al, 2011;Singla et al, 2011;Milanjeet et al, 2014;Bhadesiya and Raval, 2015;Singla et al, 2016;Kottadamane et al, 2016Kottadamane et al, , 2017. Besides these lacunae, these prevalence studies were also solely based on either commercial serology kit or on molecular based techniques and thus failed to analyse the practical relevance of both the methodologies in existing field conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Mittal

Kundu

Chakravarti

et al. 2017

Preventive Veterinary Medicine

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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.

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Molecular prevalence and risk factors for the occurrence of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis

Cited by 28 publications

References 34 publications

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

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

Detection and molecular characterisation of Ehrlichia canis in naturally infected dogs in South West Nigeria

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

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