title: Chronic canine ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia canis): a retrospective study of 19 natural cases.
abstract: Nineteen dogs from Greece with chronic ehrlichiosis were studied. The dogs exhibited bicytopenia or pancytopenia, bone marrow hypoplasia, seroreactivity to Ehrlichia canis (E. canis) antigens, and had no history of drug or radiation exposure. Anorexia, depression, severe bleeding tendencies, hypoalbuminemia, and increased serum alanine aminotransferase activity were also hallmarks of the disease. All these animals eventually died, irrespective of the treatment applied. Some dogs were also serologically positive for Rickettsia conorii, Leishmania infantum (L. infantum), and Bartonella vinsonii subspp. berkhoffii. Polymerase chain reaction testing of bone marrow samples revealed E. canis, Anaplasma phagocytophilia, Anaplasma platys, and L. infantum in some dogs. Concurrent infections did not appear to substantially influence the clinical course and final outcome of the chronic canine ehrlichiosis.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Companion Animal Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle's University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Mathios E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Mylonakis
authors.forename: Alex F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Koutinas
authors.forename: Edward B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Breitschwerdt
authors.forename: Barbara C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Hegarty
authors.forename: Charalambos D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Billinis
authors.forename: Leonidas S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Leontides
authors.forename: Vassilios S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Kontos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001772:Blood Cell Count / Q000662:veterinary; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D004285:Dogs; D041061:Ehrlichia canis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial