FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne2011; 52(5); 537-540;

Granulocytic anaplasmosis in a horse from Nova Scotia caused by infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum.

Abstract: A 16-year-old Paint stallion was presented with intermittent fever, inappetance, lethargy, icterus, distal limb edema, and submandibular lymphadenopathy. The horse was native to Nova Scotia and had never left that province. Morulae were detected in granulocytes. Ananaplasma phagocytophilum infection was confirmed by serology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The horse responded to treatment with oxytetracycline. Anaplasmose granulocytaire chez un cheval de la Nouvelle-Écosse causée par une infection par Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Un étalon Paint âgé de 16 ans a été présenté avec une fièvre intermittente, de l’inappétence, de l’abattement, de l’ictère, un œdème du membre distal et une lymphadénopathie sous-maxillaire. Le cheval était originaire de la Nouvelle-Écosse et n’avait jamais quitté la province. Des morulas ont été détectées dans les granulocytes. L’infection par Ananaplasma phagocytophilum a été confirmée par sérologie et une réaction d’amplification en chaîne par la polymérase (PCR). Le cheval a répondu au traitement à l’oxytétracycline. (Traduit par Isabelle Vallières)
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2011-11-02 PubMed ID: 22043078PubMed Central: PMC3078012
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Case Reports
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study discusses a case where a 16-year-old Paint stallion in Nova Scotia comes down with granulocytic anaplasmosis, a tick-borne disease caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The horse’s symptoms are detailed, and its response to treatment with oxytetracycline is evaluated.

Background of Study

  • The study revolves around a 16-year-old Paint stallion, based in Nova Scotia, that displayed several symptoms, including intermittent fever, lack of appetite (inappetance), general slowness and tiredness (lethargy), yellowing of the skin, eyes and mucous membranes (icterus), swelling of the lower limbs (distal limb edema), and swollen and painful lymph nodes under the jaw (submandibular lymphadenopathy).
  • The horse had never left Nova Scotia, thus the infection was local, not contracted from another location.

Diagnosis and Confirmation

  • The researchers discovered certain formations (Morulae) within the granulocytes of the horse, a type of white blood cell. Morulae are a sign of intracellular bacterial infections, indicative of the disease called granulocytic anaplasmosis, which is caused by a bacterium known as Anaplasma phagocytophilum.
  • The presence of this infection was further backed up by serology – the study of serum, specifically looking for either antigens (substances that cause an immune response) or antibodies (proteins produced by the immune system to fight antigens) that would be present, due to the infection.
  • Adding another layer of certainty, the infection was also confirmed through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). PCR is a genetic testing method which amplifies a single or few copies of a piece of DNA, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence, aiding in the detection and identification of even a minimal amount of DNA from the bacteria causing the infection.

Treatment and Outcome

  • The horse received treatment in the form of oxytetracycline, which is a broad-spectrum antibiotic. The term ‘broad-spectrum’ means it is effective against a wide range of bacteria, including Anaplasma phagocytophilum.
  • The study concludes positively, as the horse responded well to the treatment with the presenting symptoms subsiding after the use of oxytetracycline.

Cite This Article

APA
Uehlinger FD, Clancey NP, Lofstedt J. (2011). Granulocytic anaplasmosis in a horse from Nova Scotia caused by infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Can Vet J, 52(5), 537-540.

Publication

The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne
ISSN: 0008-5286
NlmUniqueID: 0004653
Country: Canada
Language: English
Volume: 52
Issue: 5
Pages: 537-540

Researcher Affiliations

Uehlinger, Fabienne D
  • Department of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 4P3. fuehlinger@upei.ca
Clancey, Noel P
    Lofstedt, Jeanne

      MeSH Terms

      • Anaplasma phagocytophilum / isolation & purification
      • Animals
      • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
      • Ehrlichiosis / diagnosis
      • Ehrlichiosis / drug therapy
      • Ehrlichiosis / veterinary
      • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
      • Horse Diseases / drug therapy
      • Horses
      • Male
      • Nova Scotia
      • Oxytetracycline / therapeutic use
      • Treatment Outcome

      References

      This article includes 14 references
      1. Woldehiwet Z. The natural history of Anaplasma phagocytophilum.. Vet Parasitol 2010;167:108–122.
        pubmed: 19811878
      2. Gribble DH. Equine ehrlichiosis.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1969;155:462–469.
        pubmed: 5819585
      3. Dumler JS, Barbet AF, Bekker CPJ. Reorganisation of genera in the families Rickettsiaceae and Anaplasmataceae in the order Rickettsiales: Unification of some species of Ehrlichia with Anaplasma, Cowdria with Ehrlichia and Ehrlichia with Neorickettsia, description of six new combinations and designations of Ehrlichi equi and ‘HGE agent’ as subjective synonyms of Ehrlichia phagocytophilum.. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2001;51:2145–2165.
        pubmed: 11760958
      4. Ogden NH, Lindsay LR, Hanincová K. Role of migratory birds in introduction and range expansion of Ixodes scapularis ticks and of Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Canada.. Appl Environ Microbiol 2008;74:1780–1790.
        pmc: PMC2268299pubmed: 18245258
      5. Franzén P, Berg AL, Aspan A, Gunnarsson A, Pringle J. Death of a horse infected experimentally with Anaplasma phagocytophilum.. Vet Rec 2007;160:122–125.
        pubmed: 17259454
      6. Madigan JE. Equine ehrlichiosis.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Practice 1993;9:423–428.
        pubmed: 8358654
      7. Lewis SR, Zimmerman K, Dascanio JJ, Pleasant RS, Witonsky SG. Equine granulocytic anaplasmosis: A case report and review.. J Equine Vet Sci 2009;29:160–166.
      8. Madigan JE, Gribble D. Equine ehrlichiosis in nothern California: 49 cases (1968–1981). J Am Vet Med Assoc 1987;190:445–448.
        pubmed: 3558086
      9. Lilliehook I, Egenvall A, Tvedten HW. Hematopathology in dogs experimentally infected with a Swedish granulocytic Ehrlichia species.. Vet Clin Pathol 1998;27:116–122.
        pubmed: 12075539
      10. Lester SJ, Breitschwerdt EB, Collis CD, Hegarty BC. Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection (granulocytic anaplasmosis) in a dog from Vancouver Island.. Can Vet J 2005;46:825–827.
        pmc: PMC1187793pubmed: 16231653
      11. Artursson K, Gunnarsson A, Wikström UB, Engvall EO. A serological and clinical follow-up in horses with confirmed equine granulocytic ehrlichiosis.. Equine Vet J 1999;6:473–477.
        pubmed: 10596927
      12. Franzén P, Aspan A, Egenvall A, Gunnarsson A, Åberg L, Pringle J. Acute clinical, hematologic, serologic and polymerase chain reaction findings in horses experimentally infected with European strain of Anaplasma phagocytophilum.. J Vet Intern Med 2005;19:232–239.
        pubmed: 15822569
      13. Berrington A, Moats R, Lester S. A case of Ehrlichia equi in an adult horse in British Columbia.. Can Vet J 1996;37:174–175.
        pmc: PMC1576643pubmed: 8681291
      14. Cockwill KR, Taylor SM, Snead ECR. Granulocytic anaplasmosis in three dogs from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.. Can Vet J 2009;50:835–840.
        pmc: PMC2711468pubmed: 19881921

      Citations

      This article has been cited 10 times.
      1. de Albuquerque CV, da Silva Andrade M, de Freitas MS, Paulino PG, Santos HA, de Tarso Landgraf Botteon P. Significance of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia caballi, and Theileria equi as etiologic agents in horses with clinical manifestations from the metropolitan area of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Trop Anim Health Prod 2024 Sep 21;56(8):268.
        doi: 10.1007/s11250-024-04134-4pubmed: 39305438google scholar: lookup
      2. Bogdan AM, Mitrea IL, Ionita M. Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Clinico-Pathological Findings, Diagnosis, and Therapeutic Management. Vet Sci 2024 Jun 13;11(6).
        doi: 10.3390/vetsci11060269pubmed: 38922016google scholar: lookup
      3. Drews SJ, Kjemtrup AM, Krause PJ, Lambert G, Leiby DA, Lewin A, O'Brien SF, Renaud C, Tonnetti L, Bloch EM. Transfusion-transmitted Babesia spp.: a changing landscape of epidemiology, regulation, and risk mitigation. J Clin Microbiol 2023 Oct 24;61(10):e0126822.
        doi: 10.1128/jcm.01268-22pubmed: 37750699google scholar: lookup
      4. Farooq I, Moriarty TJ. The Impact of Tick-Borne Diseases on the Bone. Microorganisms 2021 Mar 23;9(3).
        doi: 10.3390/microorganisms9030663pubmed: 33806785google scholar: lookup
      5. Lönker NS, Fechner K, Wahed AAE. Horses as a Crucial Part of One Health. Vet Sci 2020 Feb 29;7(1).
        doi: 10.3390/vetsci7010028pubmed: 32121327google scholar: lookup
      6. Kulkarni MA, Berrang-Ford L, Buck PA, Drebot MA, Lindsay LR, Ogden NH. Major emerging vector-borne zoonotic diseases of public health importance in Canada. Emerg Microbes Infect 2015 Jun 10;4(6):e33.
        doi: 10.1038/emi.2015.33pubmed: 26954882google scholar: lookup
      7. Schvartz G, Epp T, Burgess HJ, Chilton NB, Pearl DL, Lohmann KL. Seroprevalence of equine granulocytic anaplasmosis and lyme borreliosis in Canada as determined by a point-of-care enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Can Vet J 2015 Jun;56(6):575-80.
        pubmed: 26028677
      8. Schvartz G, Epp T, Burgess HJ, Chilton NB, Armstrong JS, Lohmann KL. Passive surveillance for ticks on horses in Saskatchewan. Can Vet J 2015 May;56(5):486-9.
        pubmed: 25969582
      9. Stuen S, Granquist EG, Silaghi C. Anaplasma phagocytophilum--a widespread multi-host pathogen with highly adaptive strategies. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2013;3:31.
        doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2013.00031pubmed: 23885337google scholar: lookup
      10. Burgess H, Chilton NB, Krakowetz CN, Williams C, Lohmann K. Granulocytic anaplasmosis in a horse from Saskatchewan. Can Vet J 2012 Aug;53(8):886-8.
        pubmed: 23372198
      Subscribe to our newsletter
      Join 100,113 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.