Detection of Ehrlichia canis in domestic cats in the central-western region of Brazil

Ehrlichiosis is a worldwide distributed disease caused by different bacteria of the Ehrlichia genus that are transmitted by arthropod vectors. Its occurrence in dogs is considered endemic in several regions of Brazil. Regarding cats, however, few studies have been done and, consequently, there is no...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brazilian journal of microbiology 2014-04, Vol.45 (2), p.641-645
Main Authors: Braga, Ísis Assis, dos Santos, Luana Gabriela Ferreira, de Souza Ramos, Dirceu Guilherme, Melo, Andréia Lima Tomé, da Cruz Mestre, Gustavo Leandro, de Aguiar, Daniel Moura
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Blood - microbiology
Brazil - epidemiology
Cat Diseases - diagnosis
Cat Diseases - epidemiology
Cat Diseases - microbiology
Cats
Disease transmission
DNA, Bacterial - chemistry
DNA, Bacterial - genetics
Ehrlichia canis - isolation & purification
Ehrlichiosis - epidemiology
Ehrlichiosis - microbiology
Ehrlichiosis - veterinary
Fluorescent Antibody Technique
MICROBIOLOGY
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Veterinary Microbiology
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Summary:Ehrlichiosis is a worldwide distributed disease caused by different bacteria of the Ehrlichia genus that are transmitted by arthropod vectors. Its occurrence in dogs is considered endemic in several regions of Brazil. Regarding cats, however, few studies have been done and, consequently, there is not enough data available. In order to detect Ehrlichia spp. in cats from the central-western region of Brazil, blood and serum samples were collected from a regional population of 212 individuals originated from the cities of Cuiabá and Várzea Grande. These animals were tested by the Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) and the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) designed to amplify a 409 bp fragment of the dsb gene. The results obtained show that 88 (41.5%) cats were seropositive by IFA and 20 (9.4%) cats were positive by PCR. The partial DNA sequence obtained from PCR products yielded twenty samples that were found to match perfectly the Ehrlichia canis sequences deposited on GenBank. The natural transmission of Ehrlichia in cats has not been fully established. Furthermore, tick infestation was not observed in the evaluated cats and was not observed any association between age, gender and positivity of cats in both tests. The present study reports the first serological and molecular detection of E. canis in domestic cats located in the endemic area previously mentioned.
ISSN:1517-8382
1678-4405
1678-4405
DOI:10.1590/S1517-83822014000200036