Vet World   Vol.15   December-2022  Article-16

Research Article

Veterinary World, 15(12): 2877-2889

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2022.2877-2889

Molecular detection and phylogeny of Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma platys in naturally infected dogs in Central and Northeast Thailand

Andaman Purisarn1, Sakulchit Wichianchot1, Cherdsak Maneeruttanarungroj2,3, Bandid Mangkit1, Wuttinun Raksajit1, Sarawan Kaewmongkol1, Thitichai Jarudecha1, Wanat Sricharern1, and Rucksak Rucksaken1
1. Department of Veterinary Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Technology, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand.
2. Department of Biology, School of Science, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, 10520, Thailand.
3. Bioenergy Research Unit, School of Science, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, 10520, Thailand.

Background and Aim: Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma platys are tick-borne, Gram-negative bacteria that cause canine monocytic ehrlichiosis and canine cyclic thrombocytopenia, respectively. These diseases are of great importance and are distributed globally. This study aimed to create new primers for the identification of E. canis and A. platys in naturally infected dogs using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis using the 16S rDNA and gltA genes.

Materials and Methods: In total, 120 blood samples were collected from dogs in three different locations (Saraburi, Buriram, and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces) in Central and Northeast Thailand. The molecular prevalence of E. canis and A. platys was assessed using PCR targeting the 16S rDNA and gltA genes. All positive PCR amplicons were sequenced, and phylogenetic trees were constructed based on the maximum likelihood method.

Results: Ehrlichia canis had an overall molecular prevalence of 15.8% based on the 16S rDNA gene, compared to 8.3% based on the gltA gene. In addition, the overall molecular prevalence of A. platys using the 16S rDNA gene was 10.8%, while the prevalence rate was 5.8% using the gltA gene. Coinfection was 0.8% in Saraburi province. The partial sequences of the 16S rDNA and gltA genes of E. canis and A. platys in dogs in Central and Northeast Thailand showed 96.75%–100% identity to reference sequences in GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rDNA and gltA genes revealed that E. canis and A. platys sequences were clearly grouped into their own clades.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated the molecular prevalence of E. canis and A. platys in Central and Northeast Thailand. The 16S rDNA and gltA genes were useful for the diagnosis of E. canis and A. platys. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, the partial sequences of the 16S rDNA and gltA genes in E. canis and A. platys were related to prior Thai strains and those from other countries. Keywords: 16S rDNA gene, Anaplasma platys, Ehrlichia canis, gltA gene, phylogenetic analysis.

Keywords: 16S rDNA gene, Anaplasma platys, Ehrlichia canis, gltA gene, phylogenetic analysis.

How to cite this article: Purisarn A, Wichianchot S, Maneeruttanarungroj C, Mangkit B, Raksajit W, Kaewmongkol S, Jarudecha T, Sricharern W, and Rucksaken R (2022) Molecular detection and phylogeny of Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma platys in naturally infected dogs in Central and Northeast Thailand, Veterinary World, 15(12): 2877–2879.

Received: 23-08-2022  Accepted: 14-11-2022     Published online: 20-12-2022

Corresponding author: Rucksak Rucksaken   E-mail: rucksak.r@ku.th

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2022.2877-2889

Copyright: Purisarn, 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.