Serological diagnosis of canine ehrlichiosis in Kenya and Tanzania

Abstract Canine ehrlichiosis is an important tick-borne disease caused by bacteria in the genus Ehrlichia with species such as E. canis, E. ewingii and E. chaffeensis resulting in a serious illness in dogs. This study determined the occurrence of canine ehrlichiosis and its associated factors in Kenya and Tanzania. This was a retrospective study that evaluated laboratory records of 400 samples from Kenya and Tanzania submitted to Pathologists Lancet Kenya for the IDEXX SNAP 4Dx™ Plus test between the years 2016 to 2021. Records of all samples submitted to the Pathologists Lancet Kenya veterinary laboratory for the test, were retrieved, examined, and compiled. Descriptive statistics, univariable and multivariable logistic regression were considered during analysis. The overall proportion of samples that tested positive for canine ehrlichiosis was 23% (92/400). Samples from Kenya accounted for 61% (245/400) of samples and the percent positive was 31% (29/245). The samples from Tanzania accounted for 39% (155/400) and the percent positive was 69% (63/155). In the final model, the odds of a sample testing positive was 1.7 times for those submitted in July to December compared with those submitted in January to June. Blood samples of dogs from Tanzania had 5.31 times the odds to test positive on SNAP test when compared with those from Kenya. This study reports high percent positive in samples originating from Tanzania and those received during the second half of the year.