First detection of Ehrlichia platys in dogs and ticks in Okinawa, Japan.

We investigated Ehrlichia platys infection of dogs and ticks in Okinawa, Japan. Using E. platys specific primers, E. platys and HE3-R, PCR-positive results were obtained with 32.0% (64/200) of blood samples of dogs and 3.8% (3/77) of ticks. The nucleotide sequences of the amplified DNA fragment from the dogs and the ticks infesting them were identical, and the sequence corresponded to that of the E. platys Gzh981 strain. We concluded that there is a cyclic maintenance of E. platys between dogs and ticks in Okinawa.