| anaplasma marginale type iv secretion system proteins virb2, virb7, virb11, and vird4 are immunogenic components of a protective bacterial membrane vaccine. | anaplasma and related ehrlichia spp. are important tick-borne, gram-negative bacterial pathogens of livestock and humans that cause acute infection and disease and can persist. immunization of cattle with an anaplasma marginale fraction enriched in outer membranes (om) can provide complete protection against disease and persistent infection. serological responses of om vaccinees to the om proteome previously identified over 20 antigenic proteins, including three type iv secretion system (t4ss) p ... | 2010 | 20065028 |
| [ehrlichiosis/anaplasmosis]. | ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are zoonoses caused by bacteria from the family anaplasmataceae, including human and animal pathogens. the human pathogens are ehrlichia chaffeensis, the causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis (hme), anaplasma phagocytophilum, the pathogen causing human granulocytic anaplasmosis (hga), e. ewingii and neorickettsia sennetsu, granulocytotropic and monocytotropic ehrlichia species, respectively. ehrlichia spp. are small, gram-negative, obligate intracellular b ... | 2009 | 20077398 |
| evaluation of brain tissue or cerebrospinal fluid with broadly reactive polymerase chain reaction for ehrlichia, anaplasma, spotted fever group rickettsia, bartonella, and borrelia species in canine neurological diseases (109 cases). | vector-transmitted microorganisms in the genera ehrlichia, anaplasma, rickettsia, bartonella, and borrelia are commonly suspected in dogs with meningoencephalomyelitis (mem), but the prevalence of these pathogens in brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid (csf) of dogs with mem is unknown. | 2010 | 20102497 |
| new insights into molecular ehrlichia chaffeensis-host interactions. | ehrlichia chaffeensis is an obligately intracellular bacterium that exhibits tropism for mononuclear phagocytes and survives by reprogramming the host cell. here we review new information regarding the newly characterized effector molecules and the complex network of molecular host-pathogen interactions that the organism exploits enabling it to thrive and persist intracellularly. | 2010 | 20116446 |
| molecular detection of babesia spp. and other haemoparasitic infections of cattle in maputo province, mozambique. | molecular detection of babesia species in apparently healthy cattle within an endemic region was carried out in order to determine the prevalence of carriers and the geographical distribution of babesia bigemina and babesia bovis in maputo province, mozambique. samples from 477 animals at 5 localities were analysed using 2 techniques, the semi-nested hot-start pcr and the reverse line blot (rlb) assay. with the semi-nested hot-start pcr, detection of b. bigemina ranged between 30% and 89%, and o ... | 2010 | 20128941 |
| subolesin expression in response to pathogen infection in ticks. | ticks (acari: ixodidae) are vectors of pathogens worldwide that cause diseases in humans and animals. ticks and pathogens have co-evolved molecular mechanisms that contribute to their mutual development and survival. subolesin was discovered as a tick protective antigen and was subsequently shown to be similar in structure and function to akirins, an evolutionarily conserved group of proteins in insects and vertebrates that controls nf-kb-dependent and independent expression of innate immune res ... | 2010 | 20170494 |
| review of microarray studies for host-intracellular pathogen interactions. | obligate intracellular bacteria are privileged soldiers on the battlefield that represent host-pathogen interactions. microarrays are a powerful technology that can increase our knowledge about how bacteria respond to and interact with their hosts. this review summarizes the limitations inherent to host-pathogen interaction studies and essential strategies to improve microarray investigations of intracellular bacteria. we have compiled the comparative genomic and gene expression analyses of obli ... | 2010 | 20188126 |
| potential for tick-borne bartonelloses. | as worldwide vectors of human infectious diseases, ticks are considered to be second only to mosquitoes. each tick species has preferred environmental conditions and biotopes that determine its geographic distribution, the pathogens it vectors, and the areas that pose risk for tick-borne diseases. researchers have identified an increasing number of bacterial pathogens that are transmitted by ticks, including anaplasma, borrelia, ehrlichia, and rickettsia spp. recent reports involving humans and ... | 2010 | 20202411 |
| blood meal analysis to identify reservoir hosts for amblyomma americanum ticks. | efforts to identify wildlife reservoirs for tick-borne pathogens are frequently limited by poor understanding of tick-host interactions and potentially transient infectivity of hosts under natural conditions. to identify reservoir hosts for lone star tick (amblyomma americanum)-associated pathogens, we used a novel technology. in field-collected ticks, we used pcr to amplify a portion of the 18s rrna gene in remnant blood meal dna. reverse line blot hybridization with host-specific probes was th ... | 2010 | 20202418 |
| borrelia, ehrlichia, and rickettsia spp. in ticks removed from persons, texas, usa. | data regarding the type, frequency, and distribution of tick-borne pathogens and bacterial agents are not widely available for many tick species that parasitize persons in the southern united states. we therefore analyzed the frequency and identity of pathogens and bacterial agents in ticks removed from humans and subsequently submitted to the texas department of state health services, zoonosis control program, from october 1, 2004, through september 30, 2008. the data showed associations of bac ... | 2010 | 20202419 |
| the increasing recognition of rickettsial pathogens in dogs and people. | dogs and people are exposed to and susceptible to infection by many of the same tick-borne bacterial pathogens in the order rickettsiales, including anaplasma phagocytophilum, ehrlichia canis, e. chaffeensis, e. ewingii, rickettsia rickettsii, r. conorii, and other spotted fever group rickettsiae. recent findings include descriptions of novel ehrlichia and rickettsia species, recognition of the occurrence and clinical significance of co-infection, and increasing awareness of rhipicephalus sangui ... | 2010 | 20207197 |
| mass spectrometric analysis of ehrlichia chaffeensis tandem repeat proteins reveals evidence of phosphorylation and absence of glycosylation. | ehrlichia chaffeensis has a small subset of immunoreactive secreted, acidic (pi approximately 4), tandem repeat (tr)-containing proteins (trps), which exhibit abnormally large electrophoretic masses that have been associated with glycosylation of the tr domain. | 2010 | 20209062 |
| hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis secondary to ehrlichia chaffeensis infection: a case report. | summary: hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (hlh) is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition that is characterized by fever, splenomegaly, and cytopenia in 2 or more peripheral blood lineages, hypertriglyceridemia, hypofibrinogenemia, and hemophagocytosis. hlh may be primary or may be triggered by numerous etiologies, including infections. identification of underlying etiology of hlh is important as proper treatment can completely resolve the disease process. we present a patient whose ... | 2010 | 20224442 |
| diagnosis of canine monocytotropic ehrlichiosis (ehrlichia canis): an overview. | canine monocytotropic ehrlichiosis (cme), caused by the rickettsia ehrlichia canis, an important canine disease with a worldwide distribution. diagnosis of the disease can be challenging due to its different phases and multiple clinical manifestations. cme should be suspected when a compatible history (living in or traveling to an endemic region, previous tick exposure), typical clinical signs and characteristic hematological and biochemical abnormalities are present. traditional diagnostic tech ... | 2011 | 20226700 |
| studies of a polymorphic ehrlichia ruminantium gene for use as a component of a recombinant vaccine against heartwater. | a previously identified polymorphic ehrlichia ruminantium gene, erum2510, was investigated to determine its ability to induce protective immunity in ruminants following two different dna immunisation strategies; dna-only and a dna prime/recombinant protein (rprotein) boost immunisation. the dna-only vaccine was also compared to a cocktail of three polymorphic e. ruminantium (welgevonden) open reading frames (orfs) adjacent to erum2510 in the genome. weak protection was observed in animals immuni ... | 2010 | 20338214 |
| impaired germinal center responses and suppression of local igg production during intracellular bacterial infection. | germinal centers (gcs) are specialized microenvironments in secondary lymphoid organs that facilitate the development of high-affinity, isotype-switched abs, and immunological memory; consequently, many infections require gc-derived igg for pathogen clearance. although ehrlichia muris infection elicits a robust expansion of splenic, igm-secreting plasmablasts, we detected only very low frequencies of isotype-switched igg-secreting cells in mouse spleens, until at least 3 wk postinfection. instea ... | 2010 | 20351185 |
| anaplasma phagocytophilum and ehrlichia chaffeensis: subversive manipulators of host cells. | anaplasma spp. and ehrlichia spp. cause several emerging human infectious diseases. anaplasma phagocytophilum and ehrlichia chaffeensis are transmitted between mammals by blood-sucking ticks and replicate inside mammalian white blood cells and tick salivary-gland and midgut cells. adaptation to a life in eukaryotic cells and transmission between hosts has been assisted by the deletion of many genes that are present in the genomes of free-living bacteria (including genes required for the biosynth ... | 2010 | 20372158 |
| canine babesiosis in northern portugal and molecular characterization of vector-borne co-infections. | abstract: | 2010 | 20377861 |
| comparison of selected canine vector-borne diseases between urban animal shelter and rural hunting dogs in korea. | abstract: a serological survey for dirofilaria immitis, anaplasma phagocytophilum, ehrlichia canis, and borrelia burgdorferi infections in rural hunting and urban shelter dogs mainly from southwestern regions of the republic of korea (south korea) was conducted. from a total of 229 wild boar or pheasant hunting dogs, the number of serologically positive dogs for any of the four pathogens was 93 (40.6%). the highest prevalence observed was d. immitis (22.3%), followed by a. phagocytophilum (18.8% ... | 2010 | 20377869 |
| experimental infection and co-infection of dogs with anaplasma platys and ehrlichia canis: hematologic, serologic and molecular findings. | abstract: | 2010 | 20377870 |
| imported and travelling dogs as carriers of canine vector-borne pathogens in germany. | abstract: | 2010 | 20377872 |
| severe hepatitis associated with acute ehrlichia canis infection in a dog. | | 2010 | 20384948 |
| prevalence of dirofilaria immitis, ehrlichia canis, and borrelia burgdorferi in pet dogs, racing greyhounds, and shelter dogs in florida. | arthropod vectors of canine infectious diseases are present throughout florida. since crowded housing has the potential to bring vectors and infected dogs into close proximity, it is possible that prevalence of infection is higher in intensely housed dogs. in this study, the seroprevalence of dirofilaria immitis, ehrlichia canis, and borrelia burgdorferi in dogs residing in two types of intensive housing, greyhound kennels and animal shelters, was compared to dogs residing in low-intensity housi ... | 2010 | 20399018 |
| serological study of selected vector-borne diseases in shelter dogs in central spain using point-of-care assays. | we evaluated the prevalence of selected vector-borne diseases in 131 dogs in an animal shelter in central spain using point-of-care assays (snap 4dx and snap leishmania; idexx laboratories, westbrook, me). the snap 4dx detects dirofilaria immitis (di) antigen and antibodies against ehrlichia canis (ec), borrelia burgdorferi (bb), and anaplasma phagocytophylum (aph); the snap leishmania kit detects antibodies against leishmania infantum (li). dogs were classified as healthy or sick based on physi ... | 2010 | 20420531 |
| detection and identification of ehrlichia species in rhipicephalus (boophilus) microplus ticks in cattle from xiamen, china. | abstract a total of 289 rhipicephalus (boophilus) microplus canestrini (acari: ixodidae) collected from cattle in xiamen city of fujian province, southeastern china, were tested for ehrlichial agents by nested polymerase chain reaction assay. twenty-seven (9.3%) ticks from seven cattle were found positive for ehrlichia. the polymerase chain reaction products from positive samples were sequenced and found identical with each other. the 1458-bp nucleotide sequence of ehrlichial 16s rrna gene was o ... | 2011 | 20420536 |
| use of geographic information systems to identify areas at risk of introducing amblyomma variegatum and a. hebraeum to italy. | tick-borne diseases are one of the most important obstacles to the development of livestock breeding in africa. among these diseases, heartwater is of significant importance, second in rank to east coast fever. heartwater affects wild and domestic ruminants and is caused by a micro-organism belonging to the order rickettsiales, previously called cowdria ruminantium and recently renamed ehrlichia ruminantium. the disease is transmitted solely by ticks. although the aetiology and the clinical sign ... | 2007 | 20422545 |
| identification of anaplasma marginale proteins specifically upregulated during colonization of the tick vector. | the transition between infection of the mammalian host and colonization of an arthropod vector is required for the ongoing transmission of a broad array of pathogens, from viruses to protozoa. understanding how this transition is mediated provides opportunities to disrupt transmission through either chemotherapy or immunization. we used an unbiased proteomic screen to identify anaplasma marginale proteins specifically upregulated in the tick compared to the mammalian host. comparative mass spect ... | 2010 | 20439479 |
| detection and characterization of four novel genotypes of ehrlichia canis from dogs. | the genetic diversity of ehrlichia canis strains worldwide is currently poorly defined. the present study aimed to characterize e. canis strains in naturally infected dogs in taiwan, using a combination of pcr and sequence analysis of the 16s rdna and two antigen-encoding genes, gp19 and gp36. genomic dna was extracted from 34 parasitemic dogs and the genes of the pathogen were separately amplified, sequenced, and aligned with corresponding sequences available in genbank. all 16s rdna sequences ... | 2010 | 20451333 |
| bacterial pathogens in ixodid ticks from a piedmont county in north carolina: prevalence of rickettsial organisms. | in north carolina, reported human cases of tick-borne illness, specifically rocky mountain spotted fever, have escalated over the past decade. to determine the relative abundance of vectors and to estimate the risk of acquiring a tick-borne illness in peri-residential landscapes, ticks were collected in chatham county, a typical piedmont county and, samples of the ticks were tested for infection with selected bacterial pathogens using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays. tick ... | 2010 | 20455778 |
| prevalence of anti-platelet antibodies in dogs naturally co-infected by leishmania infantum and ehrlichia canis. | thirty naturally infected dogs were divided into three groups (10 animals each): group i (canine leishmaniosis), group ii (canine ehrlichiosis) and group iii (dogs co-infected by both infectious agents). ten clinically healthy dogs were used as controls. a haematological profile was obtained and dog sera were assessed for the presence of platelet-bound igm and igg antibodies (pbigm, pbigg) using flow cytometry. eight of the naturally co-infected dogs (80%), five of the leishmaniotic dogs (50%) a ... | 2011 | 20456989 |
| heartwater: an abridged historical account. | heartwater was first recognised and recorded in south africa as early as 1838. since then the disease has been described from almost all the countries in africa south of the sahara, from certain islands around africa and from a number of islands in the caribbean. most of the research on the disease, at least until fairly recently, was conducted in south africa. progress in research on the disease has been slow but a few important findings are highlighted in this paper. | 2009 | 20458858 |
| role of sand lizards in the ecology of lyme and other tick-borne diseases in the netherlands. | abstract: | 2010 | 20470386 |
| efficiency of inactivated vaccines against heartwater in burkina faso: impact of ehrlichia ruminantium genetic diversity. | in order to identify the appropriate strains to use in vaccination trials against heartwater in burkina faso, the protective effect of gardel and welgevonden strains was assessed against local strains on sheep vaccinated by infection-and-treatment method: gardel protected significantly against burkina faso strains tested (survival rate 59% for immunised sheep vs 13% for control sheep) while welgevonden did not (survival rate 45% for immunised sheep vs 25% for control sheep). the efficacy of the ... | 2010 | 20470791 |
| prevalence of selected infectious agents in cats in ireland. | vector-borne bacterial and rickettsial agents and toxoplasma gondii, are common organisms in cats. some are potentially zoonotic or may be transmitted via blood transfusion. the current study investigated the prevalence of these agents in cats from dublin, ireland, for which no published data exists. whole blood (n=116) and sera (n=83) samples were obtained from 121 cats. dna was extracted from blood and assayed using polymerase chain reaction techniques for anaplasma species, bartonella species ... | 2010 | 20472484 |
| sdetection of vector-borne agents in lone star ticks, amblyomma americanum (acari: ixodidae), from mississippi. | in this study, we evaluated amblyomma americanum (lone star tick) in mississippi for the presence of ehrlichia chaffeensis, causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis; ehrlichia ewingii, causative agent of human and canine granulocytic ehrlichiosis; borrelia lonestari, putative agent of southern tick-associated rash illness; francisella tularensis, the agent of tularemia; and rickettsia spp., particularly r. amblyommii, a suspected pathogen. we collected adult a. americanum from four region ... | 2010 | 20496596 |
| human ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis. | human ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are acute febrile tick-borne diseases caused by various members of the genera ehrlichia and anaplasma (anaplasmataceae). human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis has become one of the most prevalent life-threatening tick-borne disease in the united states. ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are becoming more frequently diagnosed as the cause of human infections, as animal reservoirs and tick vectors have increased in number and humans have inhabited areas where reservoir ... | 2010 | 20513551 |
| prevalence of bartonella species, rickettsia felis, haemoplasmas and the ehrlichia group in the blood of cats and fleas in eastern australia. | to define the prevalence of bartonella spp., rickettsia felis, mycoplasma haemofelis, 'candidatus mycoplasma haemominutum' (mhm) and 'candidatus mycoplasma turicensis' (mtc) in cats and their fleas in eastern australia. | 2010 | 20529020 |
| prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in ticks in sicily. | the prevalence of anaplasma, ehrlichia, rickettsia and babesia/theileria species was analysed in questing and feeding adult ticks in sicily. a total of 678 ticks were collected and analysed in this study. of these, 29 were questing ticks and 649 were collected from infested cattle, sheep, goats or dogs. tick species analysed included rhipicephalus bursa, r. turanicus, r. sanguineus, hyalomma lusitanicum, h. marginatum, dermacentor marginatus, ixodes ricinus, r. (boophilus) annulatus and haemaphy ... | 2010 | 20537102 |
| ehrlichia ewingii infection and exposure rates in dogs from the southcentral united states. | we used pcr and a novel serologic assay to determine infection and exposure rates to ehrlichia ewingii in dogs from an area of northeast oklahoma and northwest arkansas where amblyomma americanum ticks are abundant. of 143 dogs assayed, 13 (9.1%) harbored e. ewingii by pcr and 64 (44.8%) had antibodies to e. ewingii detected using a peptide-based microtiter plate elisa. dogs were more likely (p=0.001) to be positive by pcr if sampled in august (30.8%) but no association was found between seropos ... | 2010 | 20541322 |
| clonal origin of emerging populations of ehrlichia ruminantium in burkina faso. | cowdriosis or heartwater is a major tick-borne disease on ruminants in africa and the caribbean. the causative agent is ehrlichia ruminantium, an intracellular bacterium. development of vaccines against heartwater has been hampered the limited efficiency of vaccine in the field, thought to be a consequence of the high genetic diversity of strains circulating in a same area. a sampling scheme was set to collect ticks over 2 years in a delimited area and well identified flock. prevalence was low a ... | 2010 | 20553966 |
| cyclic di-gmp signaling regulates invasion by ehrlichia chaffeensis of human monocytes. | cyclic di-gmp (c-di-gmp) is a bacterial second messenger produced by ggdef domain-containing proteins. the genome of ehrlichia chaffeensis, an obligatory intracellular bacterium that causes human monocytic ehrlichiosis, encodes a single protein that contains a ggdef domain, called pled. in this study, we investigated the effects of c-di-gmp signaling on e. chaffeensis infection of the human monocytic cell line thp-1. recombinant e. chaffeensis pled showed diguanylate cyclase activity as it gener ... | 2010 | 20562302 |
| prevalence of canine ehrlichiosis in perak state, peninsular malaysia. | the indirect fluorescent antibody test (ifat) and thin blood smears were conducted to establish the prevalence of ehrlichia canis infection in dogs presented for treatment by pet owners at five private and one government veterinary clinic. results showed that 15% of the dogs were positive for the parasite via ifat, but none using blood smears. however, infected dogs did not show severe clinical symptoms of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (cme). | 2010 | 20562808 |
| in vitro and in vivo evaluation of five low molecular weight proteins of ehrlichia ruminantium as potential vaccine components. | low molecular weight (lmw) proteins of e. ruminantium can induce proliferation of immune peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmcs) and the production of interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma) by cd4+-enriched t-cells. in this study, a reverse vaccinology approach was applied to identify additional vaccine candidates focusing on genes that encode lmw proteins smaller than 20 kda. five open reading frames (orfs) were selected from the e. ruminantium genome and their corresponding recombinant (r) proteins w ... | 2010 | 20566221 |
| haemorrhagic diathesis in a ram with anaplasma phagocytophilum infection. | a 10-month-old ram with fever, inappetence and haemorrhagic diathesis had petechiae and ecchymoses at various body sites and was infested by ticks. haematological examination revealed pancytopenia, while serum biochemistry indicated hepatic dysfunction. blood smears were negative for ehrlichia spp. and other haemoparasites. paired sera revealed infection by anaplasma phagocytophilum, but testing by polymerase chain reaction was negative. treatment with oxytetracycline was effective. this is the ... | 2011 | 20591440 |
| prevention of endemic canine vector-borne diseases using imidacloprid 10% and permethrin 50% in young dogs: a longitudinal field study. | canine vector-borne diseases (cvbds) are highly prevalent and increasing in distribution worldwide. a longitudinal study was conducted in southern italy to determine the incidence of and protection against cvbd-causing pathogens in dogs treated with a combination of imidacloprid 10% and permethrin 50% (imper). one hundred eleven autochthonous young dogs were divided into group a (n=63) and group b (n=48), both groups containing dogs positive and negative for one or more cvbd-causing pathogens. a ... | 2010 | 20591573 |
| survey for tick-borne zoonoses in the state of espirito santo, southeastern brazil. | blood samples collected from 201 humans, 92 dogs, and 27 horses in the state of espirito santo, brazil, were tested by polymerase chain reaction, indirect immunofluorescence assays, and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for tick-borne diseases (rickettsiosis, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, borreliosis, babesiosis). our results indicated that the surveyed counties are endemic for spotted fever group rickettsiosis because sera from 70 (34.8%) humans, 7 (7.6%) dogs, and 7 (25.9%) horses were ... | 2010 | 20595502 |
| natural killer cells promote tissue injury and systemic inflammatory responses during fatal ehrlichia-induced toxic shock-like syndrome. | human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis is caused by ehrlichia chaffeensis, a gram-negative bacterium lacking lipopolysaccharide. we have shown that fatal murine ehrlichiosis is associated with cd8(+)t cell-mediated tissue damage, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin (il)-10 overproduction, and cd4(+)th1 hyporesponsiveness. in this study, we examined the relative contributions of natural killer (nk) and nkt cells in ehrlichia-induced toxic shock. lethal ehrlichial infection in wild-type mice i ... | 2010 | 20616341 |
| sensitivity evaluation of a single-step pcr assay using ehrlichia canis p28 gene as a target and its application in diagnosis of canine ehrlichiosis. | the aim of this study was to optimize a pcr assay that amplifies an 843 pb fragment from the p28 gene of ehrlichia canis and compare it with two other pcr methods used to amplify portions of the 16s rrna and dsb genes of ehrlichia. blood samples were collected from dogs suspected of having a positive diagnosis for canine ehrlichiosis. amplification of the p28 gene by pcr produced an 843-bp fragment and this assay could detect dna from one gene copy among 1 billion cells. all positive samples det ... | 2010 | 20624341 |
| prevalence of ehrlichial infection among dogs and ticks in northeastern brazil. | this study investigated the epidemiology of canine ehrlichiosis in northeastern brazil, focusing the identification of the ehrlichia species and vectors involved. samples were collected from 472 domestic dogs residing in the health districts of cajazeiras and itapuã of salvador city. the average prevalence of antibodies reactive to e. canis by immunofluorescent antibody test (ifat) (titer ≥ 1:80) was 35.6% (168/472). blood samples from the e. canis-seropositive animals were tested by nested pcr ... | 2010 | 20624344 |
| ehrlichia canis morulae and dna detection in whole blood and spleen aspiration samples. | the aim of this study was to compare the detection of ehrlichia canis morulae and dna by npcr in whole blood and spleen aspiration. the sample included 40 dogs showing thrombocytopenia associated to clinical signs suggestive of canine ehrlichiosis. morulae detection showed that in 35 of the dogs studied, 17 had morulae in spleen tissue, and two in buffy coat smears. e. canis dna was detected in 29/40 blood samples. we verified that morulae detection is more efficient in cytological preparations ... | 2010 | 20624346 |
| [seroprevalence anti-ehrlichia canis antibodies in dogs of cuiabá, mato grosso]. | canine ehrlichiosis is a disease transmitted by ticks rhipicephalus sanguineus and caused by ehrlichia canis, obligatory intracellular bacteria. the present study examined the prevalence of anti-e. canis in 254 dogs from four administrative regions of cuiabá, mato grosso, by indirect immunofluorescence assay. there was a prevalence of 42.5% (108/254) without significant difference between the studied regions. the variables age, breed, sex, habitat, access to rural and ticks were analyzed. the an ... | 2010 | 20624348 |
| metapopulation models in tick-borne disease transmission modelling. | human monocytic ehrlichiosis (ehrlichia chaffeensis), or hme, is a tick-transmitted, ricksettisal disease with growing impact in the united states. risk of a tick-borne disease such as hme to humans can be estimated using the prevalence of that disease in the tick population. a deterministic model for hme is explored to investigate the underlying dynamics of prevalence in tick populations, particularly when spatial considerations are allowed. the dynamics of hme in a single spatial patch are con ... | 2010 | 20632529 |
| molecular detection of ehrlichia canis, anaplasma bovis, anaplasma platys, candidatus midichloria mitochondrii and babesia canis vogeli in ticks from israel. | : ticks are vectors of important pathogens of human and animals. therefore, their microbial carriage capacity is constantly being investigated. the aim of this study was to characterize the diversity of domestic animal pathogens in ticks collected from vegetation and the ground, from different parts of israel. non-engorged questing adult ticks were collected from 13 localities. a total of 1196 ticks in 131 pools-83 pools of rhipicephalus turanicus and 48 of rhipicephalus sanguineus (with two to ... | 2011 | 20636417 |
| diagnosis of canine vector-borne diseases in young dogs: a longitudinal study. | canine vector-borne diseases (cvbds) pose a diagnostic challenge, particularly when a dog is coinfected with more than one pathogen. the purpose of this study was to generate information about the diagnosis of cvbds in young dogs following their first exposure to flea, tick, sand fly, louse, and mosquito vectors. from march 2008 to may 2009, 10 purpose-bred young naive beagle dogs and a cohort of 48 mixed-breed dogs living in an area to which cvbd is endemic in southern italy were monitored usin ... | 2010 | 20660218 |
| a novel ehrlichia genotype detected in naturally infected cattle in north america. | during a research investigation to determine if cattle from british columbia (bc), canada were infected with anaplasma marginale or other related rickettsial blood parasites, a novel ehrlichia genotype was revealed. blood from seven bc source cattle was bioassayed by intravenous inoculation into naïve splenectomised calves. additional splenectomised calves were used as uninoculated negative control or a. marginale-inoculated positive control. newly designed sets of primers specific for the msp5 ... | 2010 | 20663613 |
| myd88-dependent signaling contributes to host defense against ehrlichial infection. | the ehrlichiae are small gram-negative obligate intracellular bacteria in the family anaplasmataceae. ehrlichial infection in an accidental host may result in fatal diseases such as human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis, an emerging, tick-borne disease. although the role of adaptive immune responses in the protection against ehrlichiosis has been well studied, the mechanism by which the innate immune system is activated is not fully understood. using ehrlichia muris as a model organism, we show here ... | 2010 | 20668698 |
| multiplex real-time qpcr for the detection of ehrlichia canis and babesia canis vogeli. | ehrlichia canis and babesia canis vogeli are two tick-borne canine pathogens with a worldwide importance. both pathogens are transmitted by rhipicephalus sanguineus, the brown dog tick, which has an increasing global distribution. a multiplex quantitative real-time pcr (qpcr) assay for the simultaneous detection of the tick-borne pathogens e. canis and b. canis vogeli was developed using dual-labeled probes. the target genes were the 16s rrna of e. canis and the heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) of ... | 2010 | 20674177 |
| molecular survey and genetic characterization of tick-borne pathogens in dogs in metropolitan recife (north-eastern brazil). | to identify dna of the main tick-borne pathogens in dogs from recife (brazil), polymerase chain reactions were carried out on blood samples of dogs treated at the veterinary hospital of the universidade federal rural de pernambuco from march 2007 to june 2008. the detection of dna was performed using specific primers. amplicons were analyzed through electrophoresis and sequencing. a phylogenetic tree was constructed using the upgma method, revealing that the sequences were closely related to tho ... | 2010 | 20680344 |
| prevalence of selected vector-borne organisms and identification of bartonella species dna in north american river otters (lontra canadensis). | trapper-killed north american river otters (lontra canadensis) in north carolina, usa, were screened for multiple vector-borne bacteria known to be pathogenic to mammals. blood was collected from 30 carcasses in 2006, from 35 in 2007, and from one live otter in 2008. samples were screened using conventional polymerase chain reaction (pcr) tests for dna from bartonella spp., ehrlichia spp., and spotted fever group rickettsia spp. all samples were negative for rickettsia spp. twelve of 30 samples ... | 2010 | 20688703 |
| molecular and serologic detection of ehrlichia spp. in endangered brazilian wild captive felids. | ehrlichiosis, an emergent tick-borne disease that affects both humans and animals, may represent a threat to the survival and preservation of wild felids in brazil. there are few studies of ehrlichiosis in wild felids in brazil, but ehrlichia spp. are present in domestic cats. antibodies to ehrlichia canis have been reported in a puma (puma concolor). in this study we assessed the presence of these hemoparasites in the blood of brazilian wild captive felids. of the 72 animals tested, 5 (7%) were ... | 2010 | 20688716 |
| validation of an elisa method for the serological diagnosis of canine brucellosis due to brucella canis. | in the present study, the validation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) for serodiagnosis of canine brucellosis is described. two different antigenic extracts, obtained by heat or ultrasonic homogenization of microbial antigens from a wild isolate of brucella canis bacteria, were compared by elisa and western blot (wb). a total of 145 canine sera were used to define sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the elisa as follows: (1) sera from 34 animals with natural b. canis infectio ... | 2011 | 20692004 |
| application of highly sensitive saturation labeling to the analysis of differential protein expression in infected ticks from limited samples. | abstract: | 2010 | 20704695 |
| first isolation and molecular characterization of ehrlichia canis in costa rica, central america. | the present study investigated ehrlichia species in blood samples from dogs suspected of clinical ehrlichiosis, using molecular and isolation techniques in cell culture. from a total of 310 canine blood samples analyzed by 16s rrna nested pcr, 148 (47.7%) were positive for ehrlichia canis. dna from ehrlichia chaffeensis or ehrlichia ewingii was not detected in any sample using species-specific primers in separated reactions. leukocytes from five pcr-positive dogs were inoculated into dh82 cells; ... | 2010 | 20723954 |
| [usage of real time polymerase chain reaction for diagnostics of different tick-borne infections]. | to create and test the complex of polymerase chain reaction-based methods for detection of pathogens vectored by ticks in clinical and environmental samples. | 2010 | 20734723 |
| recognition of the threat of ehrlichia ruminantium infection in domestic and wild ruminants in the continental united states. | | 2010 | 20807129 |
| progress and obstacles in vaccine development for the ehrlichioses. | ehrlichia are tick-borne obligately intracellular bacteria that cause significant diseases in veterinary natural hosts, including livestock and companion animals, and are now considered important zoonotic pathogens in humans. vaccines are needed for these veterinary and zoonotic human pathogens, but many obstacles exist that have impeded their development. these obstacles include understanding genetic and antigenic variability, influence of the host on the pathogen phenotype and immunogenicity, ... | 2010 | 20822349 |
| tick-borne disease agents in various wildlife from mississippi. | because tick-borne diseases are becoming increasingly important throughout the world, monitoring their causative agents in wildlife may serve as a useful indicator of potential human exposure. we assessed the presence of known and putative zoonotic, tick-borne agents in four wildlife species in mississippi. animals were tested for exposure to or infection with ehrlichia chaffeensis, ehrlichia ewingii, borrelia lonestari, rickettsia spp., anaplasma phagocytophilum, and francisella tularensis. who ... | 2011 | 20846016 |
| detection of anaplasma bovis dna in the peripheral blood of domestic dogs in japan. | the prevalence of ehrlichia and anaplasma in 1,427 dogs from 32 japanese prefectures was evaluated by pcr and dna nucleotide sequencing. pcr screening demonstrated that 18 dogs (1.3%) were positive for anaplasmataceae. sequence analysis revealed that 14 of the amplicons were most closely related to wolbachia spp., symbionts of dirofilaria immitis, whereas three were identified as anaplasma bovis. the remaining amplicon could not be sequenced. almost the entire sequence of 16s rrna (1,452 bp) fro ... | 2010 | 20859003 |
| pathogens and symbionts in ticks: a survey on tick species distribution and presence of tick-transmitted micro-organisms in sardinia, italy. | a total of 1485 adult ticks were collected from mammalian hosts in south-eastern sardinia, italy, during the years 2007-2008. ticks were identified and tested by pcr analysis for presence of rickettsia species of the spotted fever group, ehrlichia canis, anaplasma phagocytophilum, coxiella burnetii, bartonella species and leishmania species. among all tick species examined (rhipicephalus sanguineus, rhipicephalus turanicus, rhipicephalus bursa, rhipicephalus pusillus, hyalomma marginatum margina ... | 2010 | 20884769 |
| evaluation of peptide- and recombinant protein-based assays for detection of anti-ehrlichia ewingii antibodies in experimentally and naturally infected dogs. [corrected] | to evaluate microtiter-plate format elisas constructed by use of different diagnostic targets derived from the ehrlichia ewingii p28 outer membrane protein for detection of e ewingii antibodies in experimentally and naturally infected dogs. | 2010 | 20919906 |
| efficacy of a doxycycline treatment regimen initiated during three different phases of experimental ehrlichiosis. | doxycycline is the treatment of choice for canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (cme), a well-characterized disease and valuable model for tick-borne zoonoses. conflicting reports of clearance of ehrlichia canis after treatment with doxycycline suggested that the disease phase during which treatment is initiated influences outcomes of these treatments. the purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a 28-day doxycycline regimen for clearance of experimental e. canis infections from dogs treat ... | 2010 | 20921310 |
| ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis in dogs and cats. | in the time since canine ehrlichiosis due to ehrlichia canis was first described in 1935 and first recognized in the united states in 1962, many key advances have been made in our understanding of the diversity of the rickettsial organisms responsible for ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis in dogs and, occasionally, cats, the vectors capable of transmitting these agents, and the role these organisms play as both important veterinary pathogens and zoonotic disease agents. despite considerable progress ... | 2010 | 20933140 |
| the gulf coast tick: a review of the life history, ecology, distribution, and emergence as an arthropod of medical and veterinary importance. | the gulf coast tick, amblyomma maculatum koch (acari: ixodidae), is a unique univoltine ectoparasite of seven vertebrate host classes in the western hemisphere that is increasingly recognized as a pest of livestock and wildlife, a vector of pathogens to humans and canines, and a putative vector of ehrlichia ruminantium, the causal agent of heartwater, a fatal foreign animal disease of ruminants resident in the caribbean. this review assembles current and historical literature encompassing the bi ... | 2010 | 20939363 |
| validation of a leishmania infantum elisa rapid test for serological diagnosis of leishmania chagasi in dogs. | canine visceral leishmaniasis (cvl) is caused by leishmania donovani complex parasites including l. donovani, leishmania infantum and leishmania chagasi. as some studies suggest that l. chagasi and l. infantum may be very similar or even the same species, the aim of the present study was to evaluate a commercial rapid elisa test, originally designed for l. infantum, in the diagnosis of cvl in dogs naturally infected by l. chagasi. a total of 400 serum canine samples, including 283 positive dogs ... | 2010 | 21030153 |
| obligate intracellular bacterium ehrlichia inhibiting mitochondrial activity. | ehrlichia are obligately intracellular bacteria that reside in a vacuole in the cytoplasm of phagocytes. we determined by confocal microscopy the interaction between ehrlichia and mitochondria in dh82 cells to investigate the mechanism of ehrlichia survival inside the phagocyte. the most remarkable finding of our study was that ehrlichia morulae interacted with mitochondria and inhibited mitochondrial metabolism. we showed that in ehrlichia chaffeensis-infected dh82 cells, mitochondria did not i ... | 2010 | 21070861 |
| haemoparasite prevalence and theileria parva strain diversity in cape buffalo (syncerus caffer) in uganda. | cape buffalo (syncerus caffer) are considered to be an important reservoir for various tick-borne haemoparasites of veterinary importance. in this study we have compared the haemoparasite carrier prevalence in buffalo from four geographically isolated national parks in uganda [lake mburo national park (lmnp), queen elizabeth national park (qenp), murchison falls national park (mfnp) and kidepo valley national park (kvnp)]. differences were seen in haemoparasite prevalence in buffalo from the fou ... | 2010 | 21074945 |
| development of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (lamp) assays for rapid detection of ehrlichia ruminantium. | the rickettsial bacterium ehrlichia ruminantium is the causative agent of heartwater, a potential zoonotic disease of ruminants transmitted by ticks of the genus amblyomma. the disease is distributed in nearly all of sub-saharan africa and some islands of the caribbean, from where it threatens the american mainland. this report describes the development of two different loop-mediated isothermal amplification (lamp) assays for sensitive and specific detection of e. ruminantium. | 2010 | 21087521 |
| thoughts on the threat of ehrlichia ruminantium infection. | | 2010 | 21090154 |
| epidemiological analysis of tick-borne diseases in zambia. | tick-borne diseases are a constraint to livestock production in many developing countries as they cause high morbidity and mortality, which results in decreased production of meat, milk and other livestock by-products. the most important tick-borne diseases of livestock in sub-saharan africa are east coast fever (caused by theileria parva), babesiosis (caused by babesia bigemina and b. bovis), anaplasmosis (caused by anaplasma marginale) and heartwater (caused by ehrlichia ruminantium). despite ... | 2010 | 21106294 |
| evolution of clinical, haematological and biochemical findings in young dogs naturally infected by vector-borne pathogens. | longitudinal studies evaluating the evolution of clinical, haematological, biochemical findings in young dogs exposed for the first time to multiple vector-borne pathogens have not been reported. with the objective of assessing the evolution of clinical, haematological and biochemical findings, these parameters were serially monitored in naturally infected dogs throughout a 1-year follow-up period. young dogs, infected by vector-borne pathogens based on cytology or polymerase chain reaction, wer ... | 2010 | 21106311 |
| effect of desmopressin on immune-mediated haemorrhagic disorders due to canine monocytic ehrlichiosis: a preliminary study. | to evaluate the possible use of desmopressin acetate (ddavp) in haemorrhagic disorders consequent to canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (cme), three dogs infected by ehrlichia canis, with a history of thrombocytopenia and recent bleeding, were studied. the dogs were administered desmopressin (1 μg/kg b.w. s.c.) every 24 h on three occasions. blood samples were collected immediately before, and after 2 and 48 h the first ddavp administration, to assess haematological, clinical chemistry and clotting t ... | 2010 | 21108506 |
| sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the gp200 protein of ehrlichia canis from dogs in taiwan. | ehrlichia (e.) canis is a gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium responsible for canine monocytic ehrlichiosis. currently, the genetic diversity of e. canis strains worldwide is poorly defined. in the present study, sequence analysis of the nearly full-length 16s rdna (1,620 bp) and the complete coding region (4,269 bp) of the gp200 gene, which encodes the largest major immunoreactive protein in e. canis, from 17 taiwanese samples was conducted. the resultant 16s rdna sequences were foun ... | 2010 | 21113103 |
| performance of a commercially available in-clinic elisa for the detection of antibodies against anaplasma phagocytophilum, ehrlichia canis, and borrelia burgdorferi and dirofilaria immitis antigen in dogs. | to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a commercially available in-clinic elisa for detection of heartworm infection and tick-borne diseases in dogs. | 2010 | 21117995 |
| tick-borne blood parasites in nyala (tragelaphus angasii, gray 1849) from kwazulu-natal, south africa. | a total of 97 blood samples of nyala (tragelaphus angasii, gray 1849) from south africa were tested for the presence of tick-borne haemoparasites by means of polymerase chain reaction (pcr) and reverse line blot (rlb) hybridization. the majority of blood samples contained several different haemoparasites, often in combination. prevalent haemoparasites were theileria sp. (kudu), t. buffeli, theileria sp. (sable), t. bicornis, ehrlichia sp. omatjenne, anaplasma marginale and a. bovis. this serves ... | 2010 | 21145660 |
| igm production by bone marrow plasmablasts contributes to long-term protection against intracellular bacterial infection. | igm responses are well known to occur early postinfection and tend to be short-lived, which has suggested that this ig does not significantly contribute to long-term immunity. in this study, we demonstrate that chronic infection with the intracellular bacterium ehrlichia muris elicits a protective, long-term igm response. moreover, we identified a population of cd138(high)igm(high) b cells responsible for ag-specific igm production in the bone marrow. the igm-secreting cells, which exhibited cha ... | 2010 | 21148037 |
| infection-induced myelopoiesis during intracellular bacterial infection is critically dependent upon ifn-γ signaling. | although microbial infections can alter steady-state hematopoiesis, the mechanisms that drive such changes are not well understood. we addressed a role for ifn-γ signaling in infection-induced bone marrow suppression and anemia in a murine model of human monocytic ehrlichiosis, an emerging tick-borne disease. within the bone marrow of ehrlichia muris-infected c57bl/6 mice, we observed a reduction in myeloid progenitor cells, as defined both phenotypically and functionally. infected mice exhibite ... | 2010 | 21149601 |
| ehrlichia-induced hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in two children. | two children presented with a history of fever and rash. lab values revealed pancytopenia, elevated ferritin, coagulopathy, and elevated triglycerides. both children quickly developed respiratory distress and hypotension requiring admission to the icu. bone marrow biopsies revealed hemophagocytosis. studies for ehrlichia returned positive. the patients were started on doxycycline and treated for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (hlh). each made a full recovery. in both patients, testing for mu ... | 2010 | 21162040 |
| [sero-epidemiologic investigation on tick-borne diseases of humans and domestic animals in zhejiang province.] | objective: to investigate the seroprevalence of tick-borne diseases in humans and domestic animals from rural areas of zhejiang province. methods: anji county, jindong district and tiantai county were selected for samples collection according to their geographic locations and historical prevalence of tick-borne diseases. blood samples of humans and domestic animals were collected in the three sites. an indirect immuno-fluorescent antibody test was used to determine the presence of igg antibodies ... | 2010 | 21162818 |
| exit mechanisms of the intracellular bacterium ehrlichia. | the obligately intracellular bacterium ehrlichia chaffeensis that resides in mononuclear phagocytes is the causative agent of human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis. ehrlichia muris and ixodes ovatus ehrlichia (ioe) are agents of mouse models of ehrlichiosis. the mechanism by which ehrlichia are transported from an infected host cell to a non-infected cell has not been demonstrated. | 2010 | 21187937 |
| treatment and control of chlamydial and rickettsial infections in sheep and goats. | small ruminants are susceptible to several chlamydial and rickettsial infections. some of them, such as ehrlichia ruminantium, have a great impact on the sheep and goat industry while others, such as coxiella burnetii, are important zoonotic agents. this review focuses on measures of treatment and control for the following organisms: chlamydophila abortus (formerly chlamydia psittaci immunotype 1), coxiella burnetii, anaplasma ovis, anaplasma phagocytophilum, and ehrlichia ruminantium. | 2010 | 21215905 |
| veterinary extension on sampling techniques related to heartwater research. | heartwater, a tick-borne disease caused by ehrlichia ruminantium, is considered to be a significant cause of mortality amongst domestic and wild ruminants in south africa. the main vector is amblyomma hebraeum and although previous epidemiological studies have outlined endemic areas based on mortalities, these have been limited by diagnostic methods which relied mainly on positive brain smears. the indirect fluorescent antibody test (ifa) has a low specificity for heartwater organisms as it cros ... | 2010 | 21247042 |
| case report: successful non-operative management of spontaneous splenic rupture in a patient with babesiosis. | | 2011 | 21251311 |
| strong strand composition bias in the genome of ehrlichia canis revealed by multiple methods. | genes located on the two replicating strands are found to have two separate base/codon usages in ehrlichia canis genome. although strand-specific codon usage is not the first observation, for the first time we have applied multiple methods to the analysis of strand composition bias. by combining multiple methods, comprehensive and interesting results are obtained. among three types of correspondence analysis (coa), absolute codon usages between genes on the two replicating strands are more disti ... | 2010 | 21253460 |
| molecular and cellular pathobiology of ehrlichia infection: targets for new therapeutics and immunomodulation strategies. | ehrlichia are small obligately intracellular bacteria in the order rickettsiales that are transmitted by ticks and associated with emerging life-threatening human zoonoses. vaccines are not available for human ehrlichiosis, and therapeutic options are limited to a single antibiotic class. new technologies for exploring host-pathogen interactions have yielded recent advances in understanding the molecular interactions between ehrlichia and the eukaryotic host cell and identified new targets for t ... | 2011 | 21276277 |
| fatal human monocytic ehrlichiosis: a case study. | human ehrlichiosis is the term for a collection of tick-borne diseases caused primarily by obligate intracellular bacteria of the ehrlichia species. ehrlichiosis is characterized by a mild to severe illness, with approximately 3-5% of cases proving fatal despite receiving appropriate care. this report presents the case of a 60 year-old woman who was found collapsed and unresponsive in her home after an indeterminate time; possibly for up to 48 h. despite rigorous resuscitative care and antibioti ... | 2011 | 21279705 |
| prevalence of infectious diseases in cats and dogs rescued following hurricane katrina. | to determine the prevalence of infectious diseases of animal and zoonotic importance in cats and dogs rescued and transferred from the gulf coast region following hurricane katrina. | 2011 | 21281213 |
| cytologic patterns of lymphadenopathy in canine monocytic ehrlichiosis. | recognition of different cytologic patterns in lymph nodes (lns) from dogs with canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (cme) and noninfectious causes of lymphoid reactivity may have diagnostic utility. | 2011 | 21291487 |
| ehrlichia-induced hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in two children. | two children presented with a history of fever and rash. lab values revealed pancytopenia, elevated ferritin, coagulopathy, and elevated triglycerides. both children quickly developed respiratory distress and hypotension requiring admission to the icu. bone marrow biopsies revealed hemophagocytosis. studies for ehrlichia returned positive. the patients were started on doxycycline and treated for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (hlh). each made a full recovery. in both patients, testing for mu ... | 2010 | 21298756 |
| small risk of developing symptomatic tick-borne diseases following a tick bite in the netherlands. | in the netherlands, the incidence of lyme borreliosis is on the rise. besides its causative agent, borrelia burgdorferi s.l., other potential pathogens like rickettsia, babesia and ehrlichia species are present in ixodes ricinus ticks. the risk of disease associated with these microorganisms after tick-bites remains, however, largely unclear. a prospective study was performed to investigate how many persons with tick-bites develop localized or systemic symptoms and whether these are associated w ... | 2011 | 21310036 |
| detection of rickettsia and a novel haemaphysalis shimoga symbiont bacterium in ticks in thailand. | in this study, we identified two haemaphysalis species present at the khao yai national park in thailand and investigated the presence of rickettsia in these ticks. a total of 166 haemaphysalis specimens were collected randomly under leaves along visitor paths at five locations in the park. male and female adults of two different haemaphysalis species, h. shimoga and h. lagrangei, were identified. polymerase chain reaction (pcr) analysis revealed rickettsia bacteria in these two haemaphysalis sp ... | 2011 | 21318277 |