Vet World Vol.13 May-2020 Article-13
Research Article
Veterinary World, 13(5): 916-922
https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2020.916-922
Molecular detection and genetic variability of Ehrlichia canis in pet dogs in Xinjiang, China
2. Department of Life Sciences, School of Biotechnology, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410012, China.
3. Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211189, China.
4. Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, 832003, China.
5. Center for Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Urumqi, Xinjiang, 830000, China.
6. Center for Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Tacheng, Xinjiang, 834700, China.
7. Center for Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Changji, Xinjiang, 831500, China.
8. Bazhou Center for Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Korla, Xinjiang, 841000, China.
9. Center for Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Aksu, Xinjiang, 843000, China.
10. State Key Lab of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730046, China.
Background and Aim: As a tick-borne zoonotic pathogen, Ehrlichia canis has already posed a threat to public health and safety. This study aimed to clarify the prevalence and molecular characteristics of E. canis in pet dogs in Xinjiang, China.
Materials and Methods: A total of 297 blood samples of pet dogs and 709 skin ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato) were subjected to molecular detection using PCR for E. canis 16S rRNA gene, and then, positive samples were amplified, sequenced, and phylogenetically analyzed for E. canis gp36 gene.
Results: The PCR detection showed that the positive rate of PCR was 12.12% (36/297) in blood samples and 15.23% (108/709) in tick samples, respectively. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of E. canis gp36 protein, these E. canis strains in different geographical regions of the world can be divided into Genogroup I and Genogroup II. Among them, the Xinjiang epidemic strain XJ-6 and 533, 36, 1055, Kasur1, and Jake strains were clustered into subgroup 1.1 of Genogroup I, while the XJ-2, XJ-21, and XJ-35 strains and the TWN1, TWN4, CM180, and CM196 strains were closely related and belonged to subgroup 2.2 of Genogroup II, displaying high genetic diversity.
Conclusion: This is the first study focusing on the molecular epidemiology of E. canis infection in pet dogs, which revealed that E. canis infection had been occurred in Xinjiang, China. More importantly, this study confirmed that the substantial variability in immunoreactive protein gp36 from E. canis strains circulating in pet dogs. Keywords: Ehrlichia canis, genetic characteristics, gp36, pet dog, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato.
Keywords: Ehrlichia canis, genetic characteristics, gp36, pet dog, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato.
How to cite this article: Mengfan Q, Lixia W, Ying L, Yan R, Kuojun C, Jinsheng Z, Zaichao Z, Weiwei Y, Yelong P, Xuepeng C, Chongyang L, Jun Q, Qingling M (2020) Molecular detection and genetic variability of Ehrlichia canis in pet dogs in Xinjiang, China, Veterinary World, 13(5): 916-922.
Received: 20-12-2019 Accepted: 13-04-2020 Published online: 18-05-2020
Corresponding author: Meng Qingling E-mail: xjmqlqj@sina.com
DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2020.916-922
Copyright: Mengfan, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.