Serologic diagnosis of human ehrlichiosis using two Ehrlichia canis isolates.

Ehrlichia canis or a closely related rickettsial organism has been implicated serologically and morphologically as the causative agent of human ehrlichiosis in the United States. Although E. canis has been serially propagated in primary canine monocytes, only a limited quantity of antigen is obtained by this method. A continuous canine macrophage cell line, DH82, supports the growth of a new isolate of E. canis established from the whole blood of a carrier dog in Oklahoma. Serologic comparison of the Oklahoma isolate in the continuous canine cell line with a Florida isolate in commercial antigen slides revealed 100% specificity and 87.5% sensitivity.