Identification of a granulocytic Ehrlichia strain isolated from a horse in Switzerland and comparison with other rickettsiae of the Ehrlichia phagocytophila genogroup.
Abstract: This case report describes a 12-year-old Arabian mare with granulocytic ehrlichiosis. Clinical signs included fever, apathy, anorexia, icterus, limb edema, and reluctance to move. Examination of buffy coat smears revealed Ehrlichia organisms in neutrophils and eosinophils. A band of 1,428 bp was amplified from DNA of leukocytes via nested PCR and was identified as part of the Ehrlichia 16S rRNA gene. It differed from the gene sequences of Ehrlichia phagocytophila and E. equi at two and three positions, respectively. Interestingly, the nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA was 100% identical to that of the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis.
Publication Date: 1998-07-03 PubMed ID: 9650957PubMed Central: PMC104973DOI: 10.1128/JCM.36.7.2035-2037.1998Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Case Reports
- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article provides a detailed study about a strain of granulocytic Ehrlichia isolated from a horse in Switzerland. The strain was examined and compared to other strains within the Ehrlichia phagocytophila group, and found to be identical to the one causing granulocytic ehrlichiosis in humans.
About the Horse’s Condition
The study was instigated by the identification of granulocytic ehrlichiosis in a 12-year-old Arabian mare. The horse displayed several clinical signs:
- Fever
- Apathy
- Anorexia
- Icterus (jaundice)
- Limb edema (swelling due to fluid accumulation)
- Reluctance to move
Upon examination of smeared samples from the horse’s buffy coat – the fraction of an anticoagulated blood sample that contains most of the white blood cells and platelets following centrifugation – Ehrlichia organisms were found in the neutrophils and eosinophils (types of white blood cells).
DNA Identification Procedures
The researchers then used a method called nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to amplify a segment of leukocyte (white blood cell) DNA. They identified a particular band of DNA, measuring 1,428 base pairs (bp), as part of the 16S rRNA gene of the Ehrlichia strain.
Comparing the Strain with Other Ehrlichiae
Having identified the Ehrlichia strain in the horse, the investigators compared it with other bacteria in the Ehrlichia phagocytophila genogroup. They found that the gene sequence differed at two positions from Ehrlichia phagocytophila and at three positions from Ehrlichia equi.
Comparison with Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis
The most interesting finding of the research was that the nucleotide sequence of the horse’s 16S rRNA was 100% identical to that of the agent causing human granulocytic ehrlichiosis. This raises interesting questions about the zoonotic potential (ability to transfer from animals to humans) of this strain, and may open up new avenues of investigation for treatment and control of ehrlichiosis in both animals and humans.
Cite This Article
APA
Pusterla N, Huder JB, Feige K, Lutz H.
(1998).
Identification of a granulocytic Ehrlichia strain isolated from a horse in Switzerland and comparison with other rickettsiae of the Ehrlichia phagocytophila genogroup.
J Clin Microbiol, 36(7), 2035-2037.
https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.36.7.2035-2037.1998 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland. pusterla@vetmed.unizh.ch
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- DNA, Bacterial / genetics
- Ehrlichia / classification
- Ehrlichia / genetics
- Ehrlichia / isolation & purification
- Ehrlichiosis / microbiology
- Ehrlichiosis / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Humans
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
- RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
- Switzerland
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