Serologic and Molecular Diagnosis of Anaplasma platys and Ehrlichia canis Infection in Dogs in an Endemic Region

Lara, Bianca; Conan, Anne; Thrall, Mary Anna; Ketzis, Jennifer K.; Branford, Gillian Carmichael; Rajeev, Sreekumari

doi:10.3390/pathogens9060488

Open AccessArticle

Serologic and Molecular Diagnosis of Anaplasma platys and Ehrlichia canis Infection in Dogs in an Endemic Region

by

Bianca Lara

,

Anne Conan

,

Mary Anna Thrall

,

Jennifer K. Ketzis

,

Gillian Carmichael Branford

and

Sreekumari Rajeev

^*,†

Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Saint Kitts, KN 0101, West Indies

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

Present Address: College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.

Pathogens 2020, 9(6), 488; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9060488

Submission received: 7 May 2020 / Revised: 15 June 2020 / Accepted: 17 June 2020 / Published: 19 June 2020

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Canine and Feline Infectious Diseases)

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Abstract

Anaplasma platys and Ehrlichia canis are obligate intracellular, tick-borne rickettsial pathogens of dogs that may cause life-threatening diseases. In this study, we assessed the usefulness of PCR and a widely used commercial antibody-based point-of-care (POC) test to diagnose A. platys and E. canis infection and updated the prevalence of these pathogens in dogs inhabiting the Caribbean island of Saint Kitts. We detected A. platys in 62/227 (27%), E. canis in 84/227 (37%), and the presence of both in 43/227 (19%) of the dogs using PCR. POC testing was positive for A. platys in 53/187 (28%), E. canis in 112/187 (60%), and for both in 42/187 (22%) of the samples tested. There was only a slight agreement between A. platys PCR and POC test results and a fair agreement for E. canis PCR and POC test results. Our study suggests that PCR testing may be particularly useful in the early stage of infection when antibody levels are low or undetectable, whereas, POC test is useful when false-negative PCR results occur due to low bacteremia. A combination of PCR and POC tests may increase the ability to diagnose A. platys and E. canis infection and consequently will improve patient management.

Keywords: Anaplasma platys; Ehrlichia canis; diagnosis; point-of-care test; PCR

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MDPI and ACS Style

Lara, B.; Conan, A.; Thrall, M.A.; Ketzis, J.K.; Branford, G.C.; Rajeev, S. Serologic and Molecular Diagnosis of Anaplasma platys and Ehrlichia canis Infection in Dogs in an Endemic Region. Pathogens 2020, 9, 488. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9060488

AMA Style

Lara B, Conan A, Thrall MA, Ketzis JK, Branford GC, Rajeev S. Serologic and Molecular Diagnosis of Anaplasma platys and Ehrlichia canis Infection in Dogs in an Endemic Region. Pathogens. 2020; 9(6):488. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9060488

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lara, Bianca, Anne Conan, Mary Anna Thrall, Jennifer K. Ketzis, Gillian Carmichael Branford, and Sreekumari Rajeev. 2020. "Serologic and Molecular Diagnosis of Anaplasma platys and Ehrlichia canis Infection in Dogs in an Endemic Region" Pathogens 9, no. 6: 488. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9060488

APA Style

Lara, B., Conan, A., Thrall, M. A., Ketzis, J. K., Branford, G. C., & Rajeev, S. (2020). Serologic and Molecular Diagnosis of Anaplasma platys and Ehrlichia canis Infection in Dogs in an Endemic Region. Pathogens, 9(6), 488. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9060488

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Serologic and Molecular Diagnosis of Anaplasma platys and Ehrlichia canis Infection in Dogs in an Endemic Region

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