Molecular Confirmation, Epidemiology, and Pathophysiology of <i>Ehrlichia canis</i> Prevalence in Eastern India
Ankita Chakraborty,
Prasana Kumar Rath,
Susen Kumar Panda,
Bidyut Prava Mishra,
Manaswini Dehuri,
Sangram Biswal,
Manoj Kumar Jena,
Basanta Pravas Sahu,
Biswaranjan Paital,
Dipak Kumar Sahoo
Affiliations
Ankita Chakraborty
Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar 751003, Odisha, India
Prasana Kumar Rath
Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar 751003, Odisha, India
Susen Kumar Panda
Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar 751003, Odisha, India
Bidyut Prava Mishra
Department of Livestock Products Technology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar 751003, Odisha, India
Manaswini Dehuri
Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar 751003, Odisha, India
Sangram Biswal
Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar 751003, Odisha, India
Manoj Kumar Jena
Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India
Basanta Pravas Sahu
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong 999077, China
Biswaranjan Paital
Redox Regulation Laboratory, Department of Zoology, College of Basic Science and Humanities, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar 751003, Odisha, India
Dipak Kumar Sahoo
Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
The present study aimed to investigate pathological epidemiology and molecular confirmation of Ehrlichia canis among pet dogs in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, a state in eastern India. A total of 178 dogs were screened for Ehrlichiosis based on history, clinical signs, blood, and buffy coat smear examination, resulting in only 56 dogs (31.46%) screening positive. The epidemiological study recorded a non-significant (p ≥ 0.05) increase in incidences among male dogs (68%), German Shepherds (25%), dogs more than 20 kg body weight (75%), in the summer months (55%), and dogs housed in pukka houses with exposure to the outside (59%). The majority of the infected dogs had a history of tick infestation (79%) at some point in their lives. Clinical signs showed non-typical manifestations like fever, lethargy, diarrhoea, epistaxis, hind limb edema, and corneal opacity. Haematological studies revealed anaemia and thrombocytopenia along with neutrophilia with relative lymphopenia and monocytosis. A decreasing trend was observed in the levels of total protein and albumin, with an increase in the levels of globulin, alanine aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine. The ultrasonography studies revealed hepatosplenomegaly along with hyper-echogenicity in various organs. Proteinuria and haematuria were consistent, along with the presence of bile salts in the urine of affected dogs. Molecular confirmation from n-type PCR data using Ehrlichia-specific primers targeting the p28 gene (843 bp) was done, and the identified gene sequences submitted to NCBI databases have accession numbers OQ383671-OQ383674 and OP886674-OP886677. Ticks collected from dogs were identified morphologically through microscopy and scanning electron microscopy as Rhipicephalus sanguineus.
