Detection of Ehrlichia chaffeensis in a naturally infected elk (Cervus elaphus) from Missouri, USA
| Autor: | Ryan T. Stoffel, Sidney A. Ewing, Gayle C. Johnson, Kirstin Boughan, Roger W. Stich |
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| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: |
Microbiology (medical)
Cervus Dermacentor albipictus ved/biology animal diseases ved/biology.organism_classification_rank.species Blastocerus dichotomus Biology Odocoileus biology.organism_classification Microbiology Virology Left scapula parasitic diseases Cervus elaphus Ehrlichia chaffeensis Pathogen |
| Zdroj: | JMM Case Reports. 2 |
| ISSN: | 2053-3721 |
| Popis: | Introduction: Ehrlichia chaffeensis is an emerging zoonotic tick‐borne rickettsial pathogen that has been detected in a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including ruminants, canids and primates. Although white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are considered the primary reservoir of E. chaffeensis, this pathogen was also reported in other naturally infected cervids, including Korean spotted or sika deer (Cervus nippon) and Brazilian marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus). Case presentation: A captive adult bull elk (Cervus elaphus) from east‐central Missouri was submitted for post‐mortem analysis. The elk was in poor body condition with easily palpable ribs and vertebral spinal processes. Excoriations were noted on the occipital region of the head and on the left scapula, which had moderate amounts of maggots within the lesions. Large numbers of ticks were scattered over the body. Novel and established PCR assays were used to detect E. chaffeensis in blood and spleen samples from this elk, but the pathogen was not detected in Dermacentor albipictus ticks collected at necropsy. Portions of several gene sequences were analysed from the infecting agent. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of E. chaffeensis infection in an elk. It was not determined whether the pathogen contributed to cause of death. Notably, the pathogen was not detected in D. albipictus ticks collected from the elk. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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