THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF DOXYCYCLINE IN EXPERIMENTAL SUBCLINICAL CANINE MONOCYTIC EHRLICHIOSIS - EVALUATION OF A 6-WEEK COURSE

The efficacy of doxycycline treatment (10 mg/kg of body weight every 2 4 h for 42 days) in eliminating Ehrlichia canis from four subclinicall y infected dogs was evaluated. One dog remained PCR positive, suggesti ng that 6 weeks of doxycycline treatment may not be sufficient to clea r E. canis parasites from all subclinically infected dogs. Serology (i ndirect immunofluorescent antibody assay) was shown to be unreliable i n assessing recovery from the carrier state, as anti-E. canis antibodi es persisted after elimination of the parasite. Our findings suggest t hat an increase in the platelet count may be an important indicator fo r dogs that recover from subclinical ehrlichiosis.