It has been suggested that Ehrlickiosis be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Ehrlichiosis (also known as canine rickettsiosis, canine hemorrhagic fever, canine typhus, tracker dog disease, and tropical canine pancytopenia) is a tick-borne disease of dogs usually caused by the organism Ehrlichia canis, or less commonly Ehrlichia chaffeensis and E. equii. German Shepherd dogs are thought to be particularly affected by the disease, but cats and humans can also be infected. There is also the Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis which is caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum (formerly known as Ehrlichia phagocytophilia). Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Ehrlichiosis. ... Tick-borne diseases are diseases or illnesses transmitted by ticks. ... Country of origin Germany Classification Breed standards (external links) FCI, AKC, ANKC, CKC KC(UK), NZKC, UKC The German Shepherd Dog (known also as the Alsatian or Schäfer(hund)) is an intelligent breed of dog. ... Human Anaplasmosis (HA) Human anaplasmosis (HA) is the recent term for what up until 2003 was known as human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE). ... This article should belong in one or more categories. ...

Ehrlichia

Ehrlichia is a rickettsial bacteria belonging to the family Ehrlichiaceae. There are several species of Ehrlichia, but the one that most commonly affects dogs and causes the most severe clinical signs is Ehrlichia canis. This species infects monocytes in the peripheral blood. The brown dog tick, or Rhipicephalus sanguineous, that passes the organism to the dog is prevalent throughout most of the United States, but most cases tend to occur in the Southwest and Gulf Coast regions where there is a high concentration of the tick. Ehrlichia is found in many parts of the world and was first recognized in Algeria in 1935. During the Vietnam War ehrlichiosis became well known as a dog disease due to the infection and death of many military working dogs.^[1] Species Rickettsia felis Rickettsia prowazekii Rickettsia rickettsii Rickettsia typhi Rickettsia conorii etc. ... Genera Aegyptianella Anaplasma Cowdria Ehrlichia Neorickettsia The Ehrlichiaceae are a family of bacteria, included in the order Rickettsiales. ... Monocyte A monocyte is a leukocyte, part of the human bodys immune system that protect against blood-borne pathogens and move quickly to sites of infection in the tissues. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000...

Disease Overview

Dogs get ehrlichiosis from the brown dog tick, which passes an ehrlichia organism into the bloodstream when it bites. It is also possible for dogs to become infected through a blood transfusion from an infected dog. ^[1] There are three stages of ehrlichiosis, each varying in severity. The acute stage, occurring several weeks after infection and lasting for up to a month, can lead to fever and lowered peripheral blood cell counts due to bone marrow suppression. The second stage, called the subclinical phase, has no outward signs and can last for the remainder of the dog's life, during which the dog remains infected with the organism. Some dogs are able to successfully eliminate the disease during this time. In some dogs the third and most serious stage of infection, the chronic phase, will commence. Very low blood cell counts (pancytopenia), bleeding, bacterial infection, lameness, neurological and ophthalmic disorders, and kidney disease, can result. Chronic ehrlichiosis can be fatal. Blood transfusion is the taking of blood or blood-based products from one individual and inserting them into the circulatory system of another. ... Grays Anatomy illustration of cells in bone marrow. ... Pancytopenia is a medical condition in which there is a reduction in the number of red and white blood cells, as well as platelets. ... Minor traumatic bleeding from the head Bleeding is the loss of blood from the body. ... Neurology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... See the article on the kidney for the anatomy and function of healthy kidneys and a list of diseases involving the kidney. ...

Signs and symptoms

The acute stage of the disease, occurring most often in the spring and summer, begins one to three weeks after infection and lasts for two to four weeks. Clinical signs include a fever, petechiae, bleeding disorders, vasculitis, lymphadenopathy, discharge from the nose and eyes, and edema of the legs and scrotum. There are no outward signs of the subclinical phase. Clinical signs of the chronic phase include weight loss, pale gums due to anemia, bleeding due to thrombocytopenia, vasculitis, lymphadenopathy, dyspnea, coughing, polyuria, polydipsia, lameness, ophthalmic diseases such as retinal hemorrhage and anterior uveitis, and neurological disease. Dogs that are severely affected can die from this disease. In medicine, a sign is a feature of disease as detected by the doctor. ... An analogue medical thermometer showing the temperature of 38. ... Petechiae are pinpoint-sized hemorrhages of small capillaries in the skin or mucous membranes. ... In medicine, vasculitis (plural: vasculitides) is a group of diseases featuring inflammation of the wall of blood vessels. ... Lymphadenopathy is swelling of one or more lymph nodes. ... Edema (American English) or oedema (British English), formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is swelling of any organ or tissue due to accumulation of excess lymph fluid, without an increase of the number of cells in the affected tissue. ... Thrombocytopenia (or -paenia, or thrombopenia in short) is the presence of relatively few platelets in blood. ... Lymphadenopathy is swelling of one or more lymph nodes. ... Dyspnea (Latin dyspnoea, Greek dyspnoia from dyspnoos, short of breath) or shortness of breath (SOB) is perceived difficulty breathing or pain on breathing. ... Polyuria is the passage of a large volume of urine in a given period. ... Polydipsia is a medical term meaning abnormally large (poly-) intake of fluids by mouth. ... Uveitis specifically refers to inflammation of the middle layer of the eye, termed the uvea but in common usage may refer to any inflammatory process involving the interior of the eye. ...

Although people can get ehrlichiosis, dogs do not transmit the bacteria to humans; rather, ticks pass on the ehrlichia organism. Clinical signs of human ehrlichiosis include fever, headache, eye pain, and gastrointestinal upset. It is quite similar to Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but rash is not seen in patients. Binomial name Rickettsia rickettsii Wolbach, 1919 Wikispecies has information related to: Ixodidae Wikispecies has information related to: Rickettsia Rocky Mountain spotted fever is the most severe and most frequently reported rickettsial illness in the United States, and has been diagnosed throughout the Americas. ... A typical rash A rash is a change in the skin which affects its appearance or texture. ...

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is achieved most commonly by serologic testing of the blood for the presence of antibodies against the ehrlichia organism. Many veterinarians routinely test for the disease, especially in enzootic areas. It should be noted, however, that during the acute phase of infection, the test can be falsely negative because the body will not have had time to make antibodies to the infection. As such, the test should be repeated. In addition, blood tests may show abnormalities in the numbers of red blood cells, white blood cells, and most commonly platelets, if the disease is present. Uncommonly, a diagnosis can be made by looking under a microscope at a blood smear for the presence of the ehrlichia morulae, which sometimes can be seen as intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies within a white blood cell.^[1] Diagnosis (from the Greek words dia = by and gnosis = knowledge) is the process of identifying a disease by its signs, symptoms and results of various diagnostic procedures. ... Serology is a medical blood test to detect the presence of antibodies in the blood serum. ... Schematic of antibody binding to an antigen An antibody or immunoglobulin is a large Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects like bacteria and viruses. ... Blood tests are laboratory tests done on blood to gain an appreciation of disease states and the function of organs. ... Human red blood cells Red blood cells are the most common type of blood cell and the vertebrate bodys principal means of delivering oxygen from the lungs or gills to body tissues via the blood. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... A 250 ml bag of newly collected platelets. ... A microscope (Greek: (micron) = small + (skopein) = to look at) is an instrument for viewing objects that are too small to be seen by the naked or unaided eye. ... A microscopic view of an abnormal blood film. ... Morula is a stage of embryonic development in animals, including the 16-cell phase, the 32-cell phase, and the 64-cell phase. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

Prognosis

The prognosis is good for dogs with acute ehrlichiosis. For dogs that have reached the chronic stage of the disease, the prognosis is guarded. When bone marrow suppression occurs and there are low levels of blood cells, the animal may not respond to treatment. ...

Treatment

Supportive care must be provided to animals that have clinical signs. Subcutaneous or intravenous fluids are given to dehydrated animals, and severely anemic dogs may require a blood transfusion. Treatment for ehrlichiosis involves the use of antibiotics such as tetracycline or doxycycline for a period of at least six to eight weeks; response to the drugs may take one month. In addition, steroids may be indicated in severe cases in which the level of platelets is so low that the condition is life threatening. Blood transfusion is the taking of blood or blood-based products from one individual and inserting them into the circulatory system of another. ... Tetracycline (INN) (IPA: ) is a broad-spectrum antibiotic produced by the streptomyces bacterium, indicated for use against many bacterial infections. ... Doxycycline is a member of the tetracycline antibiotics group and is commonly used to treat a variety of infections. ...

Prevention

Tick control is the most effective method of prevention, but tetracycline at a lower dose can be given daily for 200 days during the tick season in endemic regions. In epidemiology, an infection is said to be endemic in a population when that infection is maintained in the population without the need for external inputs. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Ettinger, Stephen J.;Feldman, Edward C. (1995). Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine(4th ed.). W.B. Saunders Company. ISBN 0-7216-6795-3.

External links

• Ehrlichia Infection in Dogs from The Pet Health Library

Wikispecies has information related to:

Rhipicephalus