Identification of a granulocytic Ehrlichia strain isolated from a horse in Switzerland and comparison with other rickettsiae of the Ehrlichia phagocytophila genogroup.
This case report describes a 12-year-old Arabian mare with granulocytic ehrlichiosis. Clinical signs included fever, apathy, anorexia, icterus, limb edema, and reluctance to move. Examination of buffy coat smears revealed Ehrlichia organisms in neutrophils and eosinophils. A band of 1,428 bp was amplified from DNA of leukocytes via nested PCR and was identified as part of the Ehrlichia 16S rRNA gene. It differed from the gene sequences of Ehrlichia phagocytophila and E. equi at two and three positions, respectively. Interestingly, the nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA was 100% identical to that of the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis.
Pusterla
N
N
Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland. pusterla@vetmed.unizh.ch
Huder
J B
JB
Feige
K
K
Lutz
H
H
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004536:Ehrlichia / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013557:Switzerland
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S