title: Human infection with Ehrlichia canis accompanied by clinical signs in Venezuela.
abstract: A total of 20 human patients with clinical signs compatible with human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME), who were admitted to the emergency clinic in Lara State, Venezuela, were studied. Thirty percent (6/20) patients were positive for Ehrlichia canis 16S rRNA on gene-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Compared with the U.S. strains, 16S rRNA gene sequences from all six patients had the same base mutation as the sequence of the E. canis Venezuelan human Ehrlichia (VHE) strain previously isolated from an asymptomatic human. This study is the first report of E. canis infection of human patients with clinical signs of HME.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, 1925 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1093, USA. rikihisa.1@osu.edu
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: Mairim
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bodor
authors.forename: Chunbin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qingming
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Qingmin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rikihisa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D041061:Ehrlichia canis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S