Ehrlichiosis and

Anaplasmosis in Dogs
and Cats
Susan E. Little, DVM, PhD

KEYWORDS
 Canine ehrlichiosis  Canine anaplasmosis  Feline ehrlichiosis
 Feline anaplasmosis

In the time since canine ehrlichiosis due to Ehrlichia canis was first described in 1935,1
and first recognized in the United States in 1962,2 many key advances have been
made in our understanding of the diversity of the rickettsial organisms responsible
for ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis in dogs and, occasionally, cats, the vectors capable
of transmitting these agents, and the role these organisms play as both important
veterinary pathogens and zoonotic disease agents. Despite considerable progress
in the field, much remains to be learned regarding mechanisms contributing to path-
ogenesis, effective treatment modalities, and prevention strategies that best protect
pet health. This review highlights current understanding of the transmission, diag-
nosis, and management of ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis in dogs and cats.

CANINE EHRLICHIOSIS
Agents of Canine Ehrlichiosis
Ehrlichiosis in dogs may be caused by Ehrlichia canis, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Ehrlichia
ewingii, or coinfection with these and other tick-borne pathogens. E canis is the ehr-
lichiosis agent first described from dogs and continues to be an important pathogen of
dogs worldwide, responsible for severe, life-threatening illness.3 E chaffeensis is
better known as the agent of human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis (HME) in the southern
United States, but also infects dogs. Experimental infections suggest that E chaffeen-
sis produces relatively mild disease in dogs.4 However, when coinfection with other
ehrlichial agents is present, dogs may be more severely affected.5 E ewingii, first
described from a dog with febrile illness in 1971,6 has since been shown to infect
and cause disease in both dogs and people.7,8 Although E canis is considered the
primary ehrlichiosis agent of dogs in North America and worldwide, both E ewingii
and E chaffeensis appear to be more common in dogs than E canis in areas with
high vector tick populations, such as the south-central United States.9,10

Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma

State University, Stillwater, OK 74078-2007, USA
E-mail address: susan.little@okstate.edu

Vet Clin Small Anim 40 (2010) 1121–1140

doi:10.1016/j.cvsm.2010.07.004 vetsmall.theclinics.com
0195-5616/10/$ – see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.