Volume 8, Number 12—December 2002
Dispatch
Naturally Occurring Ehrlichia chaffeensis Infection in Two Prosimian Primate Species: Ring-tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta) and Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia variegata)
Cathy V. Williams*
, Jan L. Van Steenhouse†, Julie M. Bradley‡, Susan I. Hancock‡, Barbara C. Hegarty‡, and Edward B. Breitschwerdt‡
, Jan L. Van Steenhouse†, Julie M. Bradley‡, Susan I. Hancock‡, Barbara C. Hegarty‡, and Edward B. Breitschwerdt‡
Table
Comparison of blood parameters from normal and Ehrlichia chaffeensis–infected lemursa
| Normal (n=18) | Infected (n=8) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | Mean | SDb | Range | Mean | SD | Range |
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 127 | 55 | 55–238 | 226 | 88 | 96–337 |
| Urea nitrogen (mg/dL) | 20 | 5 | 8–29 | 38 | 14 | 15–57 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.7–1.2 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 1.2–1.9 |
| Total protein (g/dL) | 7.8 | 0.3 | 7.1–8.2 | 7.0 | 0.9 | 5.3–8.1 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 5.7 | 0.3 | 5.2–6.6 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 3.8–6.0 |
| Total bilirubin (mg/dL) | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.3–0.6 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.6–1.3 |
| Alkaline phosphatase (IU/L) | 240 | 83 | 125–476 | 89 | 38 | 44–144 |
| Aspartate transferase (IU/L) | 46 | 26 | 20–128 | 86 | 41 | 33–155 |
| Alanine transferase (IU/L)c | 81 | 51 | 10–210 | 128 | 85 | 47–321 |
| Sodium (mg/dL) | 146 | 4 | 141–152 | 137 | 3 | 134–142 |
| Chloride (mg/dL) | 104 | 4 | 97–111 | 97 | 4 | 91–103 |
| Platelets (x103/μL) | 327 | 132 | 165–685 | 181 | 135 | 34–410 |
| Packed cell volume (%) | 51.1 | 3.6 | 45.6–57.6 | 55.1 | 5.9 | 46–62.4 |
| WBC (x103/μL)d | 6.1 | 1.5 | 3.9–8.8 | 5.0 | 2.9 | 1.0–9.5 |
| Neutrophils (x103/μL)d | 3.6 | 1.3 | 0.3–6.0 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 0.3–6.3 |
| Lymphocytes (x103/μL) | 2.7 | 1.5 | 1.1–5.4 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.2–3.0 |
aVariation between means of normal and infected animals is significant at a confidence level of p<0.05 using the 2-sample t test, except where otherwise specified.
bSD, standard deviation.
cp=0.18.
dp=0.34; WBC, leukocyte count.
1 Approximately 1 year after the outbreak in this report, E. chaffeensis was amplified by PCR from an ill lemur in Virginia that was unrelated to the Duke colony. The clinical and hematologic manifestations were consistent with those seen in lemurs in this report.
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