Kinetics of serum antiplatelet antibodies in experimental acute canine ehrlichiosis

The pattern of appearance of serum antiplatelet antibodies during the acute phase of experimental canine ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia canis) was investigated in six beagles and correlated with the development of thrombocytopenia. The earliest detection of serum antiplatelet antibodies was made on Day 7 post-inoculation in one dog, on Day 13 in three out of six dogs, and on Day 17 post-inoculation in the remaining two dogs. Thrombocytopenia developed in all infected dogs. The results of this study suggest that antiplatelet antibodies play a role in the destruction of platelets in the acute phase of the disease. It is proposed that E. canis infection in dogs alters the immune system resulting in the overproduction of natural antiplatelet antibodies.