Immunophenotypical and pathological changes in dogs experimentally infected with Ehrlichia canis.
Márcio Botelho de CastroMatias Pablo Juan SzabóLucia Padilha Cury Thomaz de AquinoAna Silvia DagnoniAntonio Carlos AlessiMirela Tinucci CostaAndréa Cristina Higa NakaghiMariele De SantiAna Claúdia CalchiMarcos Rogério AndréRosangela Zacarias MachadoPublished in: Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria = Brazilian journal of veterinary parasitology : Orgao Oficial do Colegio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria (2022)
Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) is one of the most important tick-borne diseases worldwide, with multisystemic presentations. Immune dysregulation has been proposed as the primary mechanism involved in its pathogenesis and in tissue injury in dogs with CME. Experimental infection of German Shepherd dogs in the present study demonstrated that CME caused marked pathological changes in their lymph nodes and spleen, and also gave rise to mononuclear infiltration in organs and tissues. Immunophenotyping of cells in lymph nodes, spleen and injured tissues highlighted differences in lymphocyte subsets, local expression of immunoglobulin subclasses and MHCII molecules between infected and control dogs. These findings suggest that the immunophenotypic and immunopathological changes in dogs with acute experimental CME are related to Th1 bias and compartmentalized immune response.