Short Communication
Serodetection of Ehrlichia canis amongst dogs in central Namibia
Journal of the South African Veterinary Association | Vol 86, No 1 | a1272 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/jsava.v86i1.1272
| © 2015 Rutendo Manyarara, Ulf Tubbesing, Minty Soni, Bruce H. Noden
| This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 20 January 2015 | Published: 01 June 2015
Submitted: 20 January 2015 | Published: 01 June 2015
About the author(s)
Rutendo Manyarara, Rhino Park Veterinary Clinic, Windhoek, NamibiaUlf Tubbesing, Rhino Park Veterinary Clinic, Windhoek, Namibia
Minty Soni, Rhino Park Veterinary Clinic, Windhoek, Namibia
Bruce H. Noden, Department of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Namibia, Namibia
Abstract
Ehrlichia canis is a major pathogen in dogs throughout Africa, yet it has not been reported in Namibia. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of canine ehrlichiosis in central Namibia using the ImmunoComb assay (Biogal, Galed Laboratories). The study included 76 dogs that presented to the Rhino Park Veterinary Clinic in the north-western suburb of Khomasdal, Windhoek, Namibia, as well as 30 stray dogs from the Windhoek branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Of the 106 dogs tested, 53.8% were seropositive at titres > 1:80. Dogs that presented with symptoms of E. canis infection had a significantly higher seroprevalence (86.6%) compared with apparently healthy dogs (41.6%) (P = 0.00). Location of habitation was significant (P < 0.017), with a high percentage of dogs exposed to E. canis living in the northern or north-western part of Windhoek. As the first study to serologically establish E. canis as a major pathogen in dogs in central Namibia, it is notable that the highest proportion of seropositive dogs came from low-income areas. Further investigation is necessary to describe the ecology of this important tick-borne pathogen of companion animals in Namibia.
Keywords
Ehrlichia canis, Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis, ImmunoComb, Namibia
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