Eosinophils are multifunctional cells that have cytotoxic proinflammatory activities and stimulate CD4+ T-cells in experimental models of allergy and parasitic infections. Eosinophils, when exposed to antigens, are activated, expressing the CD38/CD69 molecules and exhibited increased expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC-II), CD80 and CD86, suggesting they play a role upon Toxocar...

BACKGROUND Frequent exposure of Grenadian dogs to Rhipicephalus sanguineus results in Anaplasma platys, and Ehrlichia canis seroreactivity. During elective surgeries, substantial intraoperative hemorrhage occurs in some seroreactive dogs. OBJECTIVES To assess hemostatic parameters and bleeding tendencies as well as prevalence of PCR positivity in apparently healthy A. platys and E. canis sero...

Brucella canis infection is an important cause of late-term abortion in pregnant bitches. The pathophysiological mechanisms leading to B. canis-induced abortion are unknown, but heavily infected trophoblasts are consistently observed. As trophoblasts responses to other pathogens contribute to placental inflammation leading to abortion, the aim of the present study was to characterize the cytoki...

Background Brucella canis is a pathogenic bacterium that causes brucellosis in dogs, and its zoonotic potential has been increasing in recent years. B. canis is a rare source of human brucellosis in China, where Brucella melitensis has been the major pathogen associated with human brucellosis outbreaks. In late 2011, a case of a B. canis infection was detected in a human patient in Zhejiang Pro...

Parasitemia with a large Babesia species was identified in two domestic cats from Israel. One cat, also coinfected with feline immunodeficiency virus and "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum," had profound icterus and anemia which resolved after therapy, whereas a second cat was an asymptomatic carrier. Amplification and sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene, followed by phylogenetic analyses, indicat...

Human ehrlichiosis is the second most common tick-borne disease reported in Tennessee after Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Two closely related ehrlichiae, Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Ehrlichia ewingii, are both causative agents of human disease and are transmitted by Amblyomma americanum, the lone star tick. Prevalence rates and distribution patterns of these pathogens among ticks in Tennessee are...

conclusions through these results, the applicability of the used extracts in the control of eggs and/or larvae of t. canis and a. caninum is suggested. however, it is worth mentioning that further studies should be performed with the species e. edulis, m. glomerata and m. laevigata, using different extracts, new concentrations, and in vivo studies, in order to ensure further clarification on th...

Herein we report on the first confirmed pediatric case of acute human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Europe. Presentation in this 11-year-old girl was comparable to clinical findings seen in adult European patients with human granulocytic ehrlichiosis; i.e., she had self-limited febrile illness with leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated serum C-reactive protein concentration. It is of intere...

The human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) agent in infected blood specimens remained viable during refrigeration at 4 degrees C for up to 18 days. These findings suggest that blood specimens submitted for culture may withstand transportation to a remote laboratory. HGE should be added to the list of infections potentially transmitted by blood transfusion.