What causes ehrlichiosis?
Ehrlichiosis in dogs is most commonly caused by
Ehrlichia canis,
E. chaffeensis,
E. ewingii, and possibly
E. ruminantium. There are multiple strains of
Ehrlichia, affecting different species of animals. Some also affect people. Some organisms that were formerly classified as
Ehrlichia have now been reclassfied as
Anaplasma. The
Ehrlichia organisms are what we call rickettsia, which on the evolutionary scale are between bacteria and
viruses.
How is
Ehrlichia transmitted?
Ehrlichia are transmitted by ticks including the Brown Dog Tick,
Rhipicephalus sanguineus and the Lone Star Tick
Amblyomma americanum. The immature form of the tick feeds on an animal infected with
Ehrlichia. When these immature ticks or a mature form of the tick feeds on another animal, the
Ehrlichia is passed on to that animal. The
Ehrlichia can remain alive in the developing tick for up to 5 months. This means a tick could become infected in the fall, and infect a dog the following spring.
Because the disease is transmitted by these ticks, it can occur wherever Brown Dog and Lone Star Ticks are found. Almost every state in the United States has reported a case of ehrlichiosis.
What are the symptoms of ehrlichiosis?
Ehrlichiosis can have three phases. Signs of the
acute phase of the disease usually develop 1-3 weeks after the bite of the infected tick. The acute phase of the disease generally lasts 2-4 weeks. The
Ehrlichia enter white blood cells and reproduce inside of them. In addition to the blood, these cells are found in the
lymph nodes,
spleen,
liver, and bone marrow. Platelets, the small cell fragments that help blood to clot, are often destroyed, as well. As a result of the infection, the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen are often enlarged.
Anemia, fever, depression, lethargy, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, joint pain and stiffness, and bruises are often seen. Many dogs will be able to fight off the infection. If not, they enter the subclinical phase.
In the subclinical phase the animal may appear normal or show only slight anemia. During this phase the
Ehrlichia live inside the spleen. This phase can last for months or years. Ultimately, the dog either eliminates the
Ehrlichia from the body or the infection may progress to the
chronic phase.
The chronic phase can be either mild or severe. Weight loss, anemia, neurological signs, bleeding,
inflammation of the eye, edema (fluid accumulation) in the hind legs, and fever may be seen. Blood tests show that one or all of the different blood cell types are decreased. One cell type, the lymphocyte may increase and be abnormal in appearance. This can sometimes be confused with certain types of leukemia. If a dog becomes chronically infected, the disease can keep coming back, especially during periods of stress. In some cases, arthritis or a kidney disease called 'glomerluonephritis' may develop.
A decrease in the number of platelets (platelets help the blood clot) in the blood is the most common laboratory finding in all phases of the disease. Changes in the protein levels in the blood are common. The most common protein,
albumin, is decreased and other types of protein called 'globulins' are increased.
Since one tick could be infected with and transmit more than one disease (e.g.;
haemobartonellosis or
babesiosis), it is not all that uncommon to see a dog infected with more than one of these diseases at a time, which generally causes more severe symptoms.
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knsa 2 dha ganahan mo tabang txt or call ds no. 09297870081 Eve........ tnx... merry christmas...
need help mga bro/sis....
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