What is Ehrlichiosis?

Ehrlichiosis, also known as “Tropical Canine Pancytopenia” or

“Canine Rickettsiosis”,
Definition
It is a tick-borne disease which is characterized by depression,
lethargy, mild weight loss, anorexia, and hemorrhagic
tendencies.
 It is caused by small obligate intracellular bacteria. There
are several strains (E Canis, E Equi, E Platys, E Ewingii), but
we will focus on Ehrlichia Canis because it is the most common
and has the most severe clinical disease.

 It is a small, rod shaped, dimorphic, intracellular, tick transmitted,

Gram – negative proteobacterium

 It is NOT zoonotic, however, people with dogs are at a higher risk

for this disease because the tic prefers dogs, but it can move on to
dogs.

It can also be transmitted by blood transfusions
 Tick transmitted, Gram – negative proteobacterium transmitted by the
brown dog tick that resides as a microcolony with a membrane-lined
intracellular vacuole (morula), primarily in monocytes and macrophages
of mammalian hosts.
 Ticks acquire the disease by feeding as either larvae, or nymphs on
infected dogs and transmit the infection as nymphs or adults.
Pathogenesis
• The pathogenesis of canine ehrlichiosis or tropical
canine pancytopenia (TCP) involves the mechanisms
by which tick transmit ehrlichea into the body which
targeted to the targeted to mature platelets and
thrombocytes.
• The predominant mechanisms are immunologically
mediated resulting in platelet sequestration coincident with
significant reduction in the number of circulating platelets.
• Another pathway involving the platelet migration
inhibition factor (PMIF) has been identified to play a
key role in the pathogenesis of TCP by enhancing platelet
sequestration and stasis, leading to reduced peripheral
platelet count and probably hemorrhagic diatheses.
• PMIF is associated with virulence and partially
characterized as a thermostable glycoprotein elevated in
body fluids of dogs severely affected by Ehrlichia canis.
 The severity of the disease depends on the
 Dog’s age (i.e., young dogs are more susceptible),
 Strain of the organism,
 The presence of concurrent disease, and
 Breed (e.g., German shepherds)are more likely to be
infected.

 There are different phases to the infection

 Acute Phase
 Subclinical Phase
 Chronic Phase

 There are different clinical signs to each phase

 Lymphadenopathy: swelling of lymph nodes
 Anemia
 Depression
 Anorexia
 Fever
 Weight Loss
 Ocular and Nasal Discharge
 Dyspnea
 Edema (extremities and scrotum)
 Few clinical signs
 CNS symptoms
 meningeal pain
 paresis: slight or incomplete paralysis
 cranial nerve deficits
 Seizures
 Severe weight loss
 Debilitation
 Anterior Uveitis
 Retinal Hemorrhage
 CNS signs
 Secondary Bacterial Infections
 Bleeding Tendencies
 Lethargy
 Bone Marrow Suppression
 DEATH! ( if not treated)
Ventral abdominal skin petechiation due Mucosal petechiae
to thrombocytopenia in a bitch
Epistaxis in a dog due to Ehrlichia canis
infection.
Ocular Signs

Hyphema in a dog Scleral bleeding in a

dog
 There were no “specific” lesion areas, however. We did find..
 History
 Clinical signs
 Postmortem lesion
 Lab test
 Positive Indirect Immunofluorescent Antibody Test
 CBC
 Pancytopenia
 Nonregenerative Anemia
 Thrombocytopenia
 Serum Chemistry:
▪ Hyperglobulinemia
 The prognosis is good if the disease is caught
in time and treated.
 If not treated, infected dogs can be come
asymptomatic carriers of the disease for years and
eventually die from massive hemorrhage
 Antibiotics
 Tetracycline : Three times a day for 14 Days
 Doxycycline : Every 14 days Drug of choice – Doxycycline (5-10 mg/kg,po)

 First: properly remove tick!

 Supportive care will be required for some animals
 Intravenous fluid therapy
 Blood Transfusions
 Anabolic Steroids
 For recurrent Infections: Tetracycline daily for
long term
 Imidocarb dipropionate (2 doses of 5mg/kg, IM, repeat after 2-3
weeks).
 Imidocarb an antiprotozoal drug,has been successful in treating
resistant E. canis infection.
 This drug persist in the tissues for up to 1 month following one dose.
 When imidocarb was given as a single IM injection, 83.9% of dogs
recovered.

 Supportive therapy
 Fluid therapy-for curing dehydration in infected dog.

 Blood transfusions-if the dog is severely anemic.

(platelet-rich plasma)
 Glucocorticoids-(1 to 2 mg/kg prednisolone, PO)

 Livertonic medicine-effective hepatostimulante

 Video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mN3HDzCpiU
PREVENTION
A vaccine is not currently available.
 Minimizing tick exposure.
 Use prophylactic drug Doxycycline (3mg/kg PO
q24h) in highly endemic areas.
 All newly introduced dog into a kennel should be
serotested, treated for ticks.
 Whole blood should be tested before transfusion.