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. 2000 Sep-Oct;6(5):477–480. doi: 10.3201/eid0605.000505

Naturally occurring Ehrlichia chaffeensis infection in coyotes from Oklahoma.

A A Kocan 1, G C Levesque 1, L C Whitworth 1, G L Murphy 1, S A Ewing 1, R W Barker 1
PMCID: PMC2627953  PMID: 10998377

Abstract

A nested polymerase chain reaction assay was used to determine the presence of Ehrlichia chaffeensis, E. canis, and E. ewingii DNA in blood samples of free-ranging coyotes from central and northcentral Oklahoma. Of the 21 coyotes examined, 15 (71%) were positive for E. chaffeensis DNA; none was positive for E. canis or E. ewingii. Results suggest that E. chaffeensis infections are common in free-ranging coyotes in Oklahoma and that these wild canids could play a role in the epidemiology of human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis.

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Selected References

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