Serological Survey ofEhrlichia canisin Stray Dogs from Yucatan, Mexico, Using Two Different Diagnostic Tests

Abstract

Canine ehrlichiosis is a disease produced by the rickettsial organism Ehrlichia canis. Reported prevalence may vary greatly depending on the test and sampling method used. For the serological detection of antibodies against E. canis, the indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFA) is considered the gold standard. However, other available serological techniques such as the indirect immunoperoxidase technique (IPT) have not yet been tested and may be efficient in detecting specific antibodies. Prevalence found (8.7% and 8.1% for IFA and IPT, respectively) was lower than previously reported in the studied area despite the well-established technique used for the determination of antigens. A kappa value of 0.958 (95% CI 0.9-1.0) was found with a sensitivity and specificity for IPT of 92.59% (95% CI 80.8-99.9) and 99.9% (95% CI 99.8 -100), respectively. The positive predictive value was 99.9% and the negative predictive value was 99.29%. The IPT technique can be used safely for serological determination of E. canis antibodies.

Countrywide serological evaluation of canine prevalence for Anaplasma spp., Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato), Dirofilaria immitis and Ehrlichia canis in Mexico

“…Analysis of blood samples using ELISA testing and blood smear evaluation showed 5.0 and 44.1 % positivity, respectively [ 59 ]. However, results are in contrast to a previous survey performed in Yucatan [ 60 ]. That study included 309 stray dogs, which were evaluated by immunofluorescence antibody test in blood and indirect immunoperoxidase technique, reporting 8.7 and 8.1 % prevalence of infection, respectively [ 60 ].…”

“…However, results are in contrast to a previous survey performed in Yucatan [ 60 ]. That study included 309 stray dogs, which were evaluated by immunofluorescence antibody test in blood and indirect immunoperoxidase technique, reporting 8.7 and 8.1 % prevalence of infection, respectively [ 60 ]. A possible explanation could be the diagnostic techniques used that differed greatly from ELISA testing performed in the present study.…”

Molecular detection of Bartonella, Ehrlichia and Mycoplasma in feral dogs of El Pedregal de San Angel Ecological Reserve in Mexico City

“…Clinical signs of an E. canis infection can be variable, depending on the strain, the immune response of the dog, and the presence of concomitant infections with other tick or flea-borne pathogens (SAINZ et al, 2015), however, no clinical signs were observed in the animals captured. In Mexico, it has been reported in several states, mainly in the coastal regions of the Gulf of Mexico and also in the states of the northern border close to the United States of America (RODRÍGUEZ-VIVAS et al, 2005;JIMÉNEZ-COELLO et al, 2009;SOSA-GUTIÉRREZ et al, 2013;PAT-NAH et al, 2015;ALMAZÁN et al, 2016). Ehrlichia canis is not common in humans; however it has been reported causing human disease in Venezuela (PEREZ et al, 2006) and recently in Panama (DAZA et al, 2018).…”

Associated Factors to Seroprevalence ofEhrlichiaspp. in Dogs of Quintana Roo, Mexico

“…In Mexico, Núñez [44] described 33.1% seroprevalence; and in Yucatan, 44.1% [27] and 8.7% [28] were reported. In the present study, a 64% seroprevalence to Ehrlichia spp.…”

“…Ehrlichiosis is considered endemic in tropical and subtropical regions since these areas present adequate climatic conditions for the tick vector growth and development [22, 25]. The disease in dogs has been reported in Mexico since 1996 [26] and there are a few studies in Yucatan reporting seroprevalence in urban and rural areas [27, 28], but little is known about the epidemiology of the disease in coastal zones.…”