| ehrlichia ruminantium variants which do not cause heartwater found in south africa. | in 1994 a batch of apparently healthy goats was selected for intended export to the usa from a heartwater-free and vector tick-free region of south africa. the animals were tested serologically for heartwater, using either or both an ifa and an elisa test, and 52% were found to be serologically positive. a pcr assay based on ehrlichia ruminantium 16s gene sequences gave positive results for 54% of the animals, suggesting that apparently non-pathogenic e. ruminantium variants existed in this hear ... | 2007 | 17123750 |