Ehrlichiosis (also known as canine rickettsiosis, canine hemorrhagic fever, canine typhus, tracker dog disease, and tropical canine pancytopenia) is a tick-borne disease of dogs usually caused by the organism Ehrlichia canis, or less commonly Ehrlichia chaffenesis and E. equii. German Shepherd dogs are thought to be particularly affected by the disease, but cats and humans can also be infected. There is also the Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis which is caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum (formerly known as Ehrlichia phagocytophilia).

Ehrlichia

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Ehrlichia is a rickettsial bacteria belonging to the family Ehrlichiaceae. There are several species of Ehrlichia, but the one that most commonly affects dogs and causes the most severe clinical signs is Ehrlichia canis. This species infects monocytes in the peripheral blood. The brown dog tick, or Rhipicephalus sanguineous, that passes the organism to the dog is prevalent throughout most of the United States, but most cases tend to occur in the Southwest and Gulf Coast regions where there is a high concentration of the tick. Ehrlichia is found in many parts of the world and was first recognized in Algeria in 1935. During the Vietnam War ehrlichiosis became well known as a dog disease due to the infection and death of many military working dogs.

Disease Overview

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Dogs get ehrlichiosis from the brown dog tick, which passes an ehrlichia organism into the bloodstream when it bites. It is also possible for dogs to become infected through a blood transfusion from an infected dog. There are three stages of ehrlichiosis, each varying in severity. The acute stage, occurring several weeks after infection and lasting for up to a month, can lead to fever and lowered peripheral blood cell counts due to bone marrow suppression. The second stage, called the subclinical phase, has no outward signs and can last for the remainder of the dog's life, during which the dog remains infected with the organism. Some dogs are able to successfully eliminate the disease during this time. In some dogs the third and most serious stage of infection, the chronic phase, will commence. Very low blood cell counts (pancytopenia), bleeding, bacterial infection, lameness, neurological and ophthalmic disorders, and kidney disease, can result. Chronic ehrlichiosis can be fatal.

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petchinchilla (j9.chinchilla) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:18:33 -0000
Ehrlichiosis: Mamairis: Ehrlichiosis has many names - tick fever, canine rickettsiosis, canine hemorrhagi.. http://bit.ly/82eLz1
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davidehrlich (david ehrlich) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:23:49 -0000
@erinlaurel8 my own parents can't remember my name (they call me Steven, my bro) but i still feel i'm already more famous than Ehrlichiosis

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