Prevalence of canine ehrlichiosis in and around Bidar

Abstract

Canine Ehrlichiosis, caused by Ehrlichia canis, is a tick-borne disease affecting dogs, transmitted primarily by Rhipicephalus sanguineus. The present study conducted in and around Bidar reported an overall prevalence of 1.58%. Year-wise prevalence was found to be 61.76% in 2022 and 38.23% in 2023. Month-wise, the highest prevalence was noted in May and October (14.70%). Male dogs (51.47%) showed a slightly higher infection rate than females (48.52%). Age-wise, dogs between one to three years exhibited the highest prevalence (63.23%), Labrador Retrievers showed the highest breed-wise prevalence (26.47%), likely due to overrepresentation. Seasonally, the disease peaked in summer (44.11%) reflecting increased vector activity during warmer months. These findings align with earlier studies and highlight the influence of age, gender, breed, and seasonal variation on disease prevalence.