Prevalence and molecular detection of Ehrlichia canis in dogs

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Animal medicine department, Faculty of veterinary medicine, Menofia university

2 Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University

Abstract

Ehrlichia canis (E. canis) is a tick-borne disease, affect dogs in different areas. Traditional diagnostic techniques including hematology, cytology and isolation are valuable diagnostic tools for E. canis, however a definitive diagnosis of E. canis infection requires molecular Investigation techniques. An epidemiological study of E. canis infection among dogs in Egypt was carried out using microscopic examination and molecular tools techniques. A total of 170 canine blood samples were collected from different breed of dogs admitted to veterinary clinics in three governorates (Cairo, Giza and Qalyubia). Microscopic examination revealed that 25 out of 170 (14.7%) were positive for E. canis. Molecular screening by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using genus-specific primers followed by PCR using E. canis species-specific primers. PCR assay can be detected 27 out of 170 dogs for E. canis from examined animals. These results emphasize that ehrlichiosis circulating among dogs in Egypt. Further serological and molecular studies are needed to clarify the epidemiological feature of this infection in different governorates of Egypt

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