Loftis Amanda D, Levin Michael L, Spurlock J Paul
Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
Vet Microbiol. 2008 Aug 25;130(3-4):398-402. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2008.01.010. Epub 2008 Feb 2.
Ehrlichia spp. are not currently recognized as a cause of illness in goats in the USA, but three Ehrlichia are enzootic in lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum) in the eastern USA, and related bacteria in other countries cause illness in goats. We exposed naïve goats to Ehrlichia-infected Amblyomma and demonstrated that infection and clinical illness can be caused by two USA species, E. ewingii and the recently discovered Panola Mountain Ehrlichia sp. Clinical features in all five goats are described; ehrlichioses were associated with pyrexia, serous nasal discharge, inappetance, lethargy, decreased alkaline phosphatase, and, in most cases, neutropenia. Goats remained chronically infected for several months following exposure to ehrlichiae and transmitted the pathogens to uninfected ticks. In the eastern USA, undifferentiated febrile illness in goats might be caused by previously unrecognized ehrlichial infections, and pastures housing-infected goats could become infested with a large number of infected ticks.
在美国，埃立克体目前不被认为是山羊患病的病因，但在美国东部，三种埃立克体在孤星蜱（美洲钝眼蜱）中呈地方流行性，并且其他国家的相关细菌会导致山羊患病。我们让未接触过病原体的山羊接触感染了埃立克体的美洲钝眼蜱，并证明美国的两种埃立克体——尤因埃立克体和最近发现的帕诺拉山埃立克体可导致感染和临床疾病。本文描述了所有五只山羊的临床特征；埃立克体病与发热、浆液性鼻液、食欲不振、嗜睡、碱性磷酸酶降低有关，并且在大多数情况下与中性粒细胞减少有关。山羊在接触埃立克体后会持续慢性感染数月，并将病原体传播给未感染的蜱。在美国东部，山羊未分化的发热性疾病可能是由以前未被认识的埃立克体感染引起的，饲养感染山羊的牧场可能会出现大量感染蜱。
