Evaluation of hematological disorders in dogs diagnosed with canine monocytic ehrlichiosis

Resumo

Thousands of dogs worldwide are diagnosed with canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME), an infectious disease with global incidence caused by a bacterium of the genus Erlichia. The disease is transmitted by the tick vector Rhipicephalus sanguineus, and how the disease manifests itself varies according to its stage and the time of diagnosis. The hemogram associated with serological tests are the main resources in the diagnosis and clinical monitoring of the pathogenic process. This study aimed to identify the most frequent hematological disorders in dogs diagnosed with CME. For this, 60 medical records and hemograms were evaluated in dogs with a diagnosis of CME between the last quarter of 2018 and the first four months of 2019 in two veterinary clinics, located in the municipalities of Campo Limpo Paulista-SP and Jundiaí-SP. Hematological alterations observed indicates a high prevalence of thrombocytopenia, normocytic normocytic anemia and neutropenia with a left shift among patients, as well as a correlation between the number of infections with the hot weather. The bibliography shows that hematologic changes as fall of erythrocytes, platelets and neutrophils are frequent in the hemograms of patients with CME. The present study emphasizes the importance of clinical diagnosis associated with serological tests, as well as continuous patient monitoring through hemograms, with the aim of monitoring the pathogenic process.