| Anaplasma platys is the agent of cyclic canine trombocitopenia and A. Phagocytophilum is responsible for dog granulocytic anaplasmosis and human granulocitic anaplasmosis. A. platys was detected by PCR infecting dogs from Chilean Metropolitan region. A. phagocytophilum was not described in the country. The aim of this work was to report a high exposure to Anaplasma spp. agents in dogs from Valparaíso, Central region, Chile. Blood samples from 39 dogs were obtained. Serum was tested by a commercial ELISA test (IDEXX 4DX plus®) to A. phagocytophilum/A. platys, Ehrlichia canis/E. Ewingii, Borrelia burgdorferi antibody, and Dirofilaria immitis antigen. High exposure Anaplasma spp. was observed with a 48% (19/39) of the dogs positive for Anaplasma spp. and a 2,6% (1/39) had only Ehlichia spp. antibodies. Anaplasma spp. exposure was detected alone and as co exposure to the other agents. A 31% (16/39) of the dogs had antibodies only for Anaplasma spp., a 5% (2/39) was co exposed to Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp. and B. burgdorferi, and a 2,6 % (1/39) co exposed to Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. The high number of dogs from Chilean Central region exposed to Anaplasma spp. points that A. platys and/or A. phagocytophilum are circulating and may be epidemic in this region. Unlike our study, the few isolated serosurveys of Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. in dogs from Chile comprise low frequencies. Due to climate changes during the last decades, ticks have progressively spread from north Chile to central and southern Chile. Generally, a recent insertion of a parasite in a naïve population generates an epidemic and pathogenic disease, as there are no previous defenses against the agent. In order to confirm our results of high frequency it is necessary to increase the number of dogs and apply molecular techniques to identify the causal agent. |
