Canine Monocytic Ehrlichiosis among working dogs of organised kennels in India: A comprehensive analyses of clinico-pathology, serological and molecular epidemiological approach

Canine Monocytic Ehrlichiosis (CME) is a serious tick-borne rickettsial disease affecting canine populations globally. Besides few reports from stray and pet dogs from localised geographical regions (cities/towns/small states), a comprehensive study on prevalence of Ehrlichia canis (E. canis) among working dogs from different geo-climatic zones of India was pertinently lacking. Study of CME among these dog populations was thus carried out, encompassing clinical aspects and different diagnostic methodologies viz., microscopy, serology and molecular biology. During the two-year study period, clinical specimens from 225 cases suspected of canine ehrlichiosis were examined for clinical pathology and presence of the haemoparasites. Overall prevalence of ehrlichiosis by microscopic examination, commercial dot-ELISA kit and nested PCR assay was estimated to be 1.3%, 19.1% and 5.8%, respectively, which were found to be statistically significant by McNemar Chi squared test (p < 0.05). It was also observed that possibly due to widespread use of doxycycline therapy in field, CME presently does not remain a potential threat which it uses to pose earlier. However, concurrent infections of E. canis and Babesia gibsoni were found to be mostly fatal. Keeping in view of high number of apparently healthy dogs (24) out of total positive cases (46) observed during the study, it is recommended that prevalence studies on CME should also involve screening of apparently healthy dogs. Phylogenetic analysis carried on partial sequencing of 16S rRNA of E. canis strains revealed that all of the Indian strains clustered in a single clade with other E. canis species from India and rest of the world. Molecular divergence was observed among the sequences of Brazilian and American isolates which were also included in the present study. These findings have thus opened a new paradigm for planning of pragmatic control strategies against CME.