Molecular detection of Ehrlichia canis in dogs in Malaysia.

An epidemiological study of Ehrlichia canis infection in dogs in Peninsular Malaysia was carried out using molecular detection techniques. A total of 500 canine blood samples were collected from veterinary clinics and dog shelters. Molecular screening by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Main Authors: Mojgan Nazari, Sue Yee Lim, Mahira Watanabe, Reuben S K Sharma, Nadzariah A B Y Cheng, Malaika Watanabe
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2013
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001982
https://doaj.org/article/ce21750387ea402d8398514f07a675bd
Description
Summary:An epidemiological study of Ehrlichia canis infection in dogs in Peninsular Malaysia was carried out using molecular detection techniques. A total of 500 canine blood samples were collected from veterinary clinics and dog shelters. Molecular screening by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using genus-specific primers followed by PCR using E. canis species-specific primers. Ten out of 500 dogs were positive for E. canis. A phylogenetic analysis of the E. canis Malaysia strain showed that it was grouped tightly with other E. canis strains from different geographic regions. The present study revealed for the first time, the presence of genetically confirmed E. canis with a prevalence rate of 2.0% in naturally infected dogs in Malaysia.