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Natural infection of domestic goats with Ehrlichia chaffeensis
V G Dugan1, S E Little, D E Stallknecht
1Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA.
Abstract:
Thirty-eight domestic goats from an area of Ehrlichia chaffeensis endemicity were tested for antibodies reactive to E. chaffeensis and for E. chaffeensis-specific 16S rRNA gene fragments by an indirect fluorescent antibody test and a nested PCR assay, respectively. Twenty-eight of 38 (73.7%) goats had antibodies reactive to E. chaffeensis (>/=1:128), and 6 of 38 (15.8%) goats were positive by diagnostic PCR; E. chaffeensis was isolated in cell culture from one goat. Our data indicate that goats in areas of endemicity are naturally exposed to and infected with E. chaffeensis.