Experimental Infection of North American Sheep with <i>Ehrlichia ruminantium</i>
<i>Ehrlichia ruminantium</i>, a tick-borne rickettsial, causes heartwater in ruminants resulting from vascular damage. Severity of heartwater varies greatly in ruminant species and breeds, age of animals and for diverse geographic <i>E</i>. <i>ruminantium</i> stra...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/4/451 |
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| author | Arathy Nair Paidashe Hove Huitao Liu Ying Wang Ada G. Cino-Ozuna Jamie Henningson Charan K. Ganta Roman R. Ganta |
| author_facet | Arathy Nair Paidashe Hove Huitao Liu Ying Wang Ada G. Cino-Ozuna Jamie Henningson Charan K. Ganta Roman R. Ganta |
| author_sort | Arathy Nair |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Ehrlichia ruminantium</i>, a tick-borne rickettsial, causes heartwater in ruminants resulting from vascular damage. Severity of heartwater varies greatly in ruminant species and breeds, age of animals and for diverse geographic <i>E</i>. <i>ruminantium</i> strains. <i>E. ruminantium</i> and a tick vector, <i>Amblyomma variegatum</i>, originating from Africa, are well established in certain Caribbean islands two centuries ago. Besides the possibility of introduction of heartwater through African exotic animal importation, presence of the pathogen, and the tick vector in the Caribbean pose a high risk to ruminants in the USA and other western hemisphere countries. Scientific evidence supporting the heartwater threat to nonendemic regions, however, is lacking. We describe the first infection study in sheep reared in the USA with seven <i>E. ruminantium</i> strains. All infected sheep exhibited clinical signs characteristic of subacute to subclinical disease, which included labored breathing, depression, coughing, and nasal discharges. Gross and microscopic lesions consistent with heartwater disease including edema and hemorrhage were observed in several organs. Pathogen-specific IgG antibody response was detected in animals infected with all seven strains, while molecular analysis confirmed the pathogen presence only when infected with in vitro cultures. This is the first infection study demonstrating severe heartwater in sheep reared in North America. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:27:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1293ba0d7d824d2caa1d960e550d291b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:27:41Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj.art-1293ba0d7d824d2caa1d960e550d291b2023-11-21T14:54:11ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172021-04-0110445110.3390/pathogens10040451Experimental Infection of North American Sheep with <i>Ehrlichia ruminantium</i>Arathy Nair0Paidashe Hove1Huitao Liu2Ying Wang3Ada G. Cino-Ozuna4Jamie Henningson5Charan K. Ganta6Roman R. Ganta7Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases (CEVBD), Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USACenter of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases (CEVBD), Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USACenter of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases (CEVBD), Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USACenter of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases (CEVBD), Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USAKansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USAKansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USAKansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USACenter of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases (CEVBD), Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA<i>Ehrlichia ruminantium</i>, a tick-borne rickettsial, causes heartwater in ruminants resulting from vascular damage. Severity of heartwater varies greatly in ruminant species and breeds, age of animals and for diverse geographic <i>E</i>. <i>ruminantium</i> strains. <i>E. ruminantium</i> and a tick vector, <i>Amblyomma variegatum</i>, originating from Africa, are well established in certain Caribbean islands two centuries ago. Besides the possibility of introduction of heartwater through African exotic animal importation, presence of the pathogen, and the tick vector in the Caribbean pose a high risk to ruminants in the USA and other western hemisphere countries. Scientific evidence supporting the heartwater threat to nonendemic regions, however, is lacking. We describe the first infection study in sheep reared in the USA with seven <i>E. ruminantium</i> strains. All infected sheep exhibited clinical signs characteristic of subacute to subclinical disease, which included labored breathing, depression, coughing, and nasal discharges. Gross and microscopic lesions consistent with heartwater disease including edema and hemorrhage were observed in several organs. Pathogen-specific IgG antibody response was detected in animals infected with all seven strains, while molecular analysis confirmed the pathogen presence only when infected with in vitro cultures. This is the first infection study demonstrating severe heartwater in sheep reared in North America.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/4/451rickettsials<i>Anaplasmataceae</i> pathogenstick-borne diseasesheartwater<i>Cowdria ruminantium</i> |
| spellingShingle | Arathy Nair Paidashe Hove Huitao Liu Ying Wang Ada G. Cino-Ozuna Jamie Henningson Charan K. Ganta Roman R. Ganta Experimental Infection of North American Sheep with <i>Ehrlichia ruminantium</i> Pathogens rickettsials <i>Anaplasmataceae</i> pathogens tick-borne diseases heartwater <i>Cowdria ruminantium</i> |
| title | Experimental Infection of North American Sheep with <i>Ehrlichia ruminantium</i> |
| title_full | Experimental Infection of North American Sheep with <i>Ehrlichia ruminantium</i> |
| title_fullStr | Experimental Infection of North American Sheep with <i>Ehrlichia ruminantium</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experimental Infection of North American Sheep with <i>Ehrlichia ruminantium</i> |
| title_short | Experimental Infection of North American Sheep with <i>Ehrlichia ruminantium</i> |
| title_sort | experimental infection of north american sheep with i ehrlichia ruminantium i |
| topic | rickettsials <i>Anaplasmataceae</i> pathogens tick-borne diseases heartwater <i>Cowdria ruminantium</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/4/451 |
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