Anaplasmosis in dogs in the western province of Sri Lanka: seroprevalence, clinical and laboratory findings

Canine anaplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Anaplasma platys transmitted by ticks. In Sri Lanka, only a few studies are available as this disease is often neglected (underdiagnosed) in clinical practice due to the non-specific clinical signs. This clinical communication describes seroprevalence, clinical and laboratory findings of 266 dogs seropositive for Anaplasma spp. identified from 450 anaemic dogs presented from Gampaha, Colombo and Kalutara areas of Western Province, Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the seroprevalence of Anaplasma spp. among this population of anaemic dogs was 59% (266/450). The majority of the Anaplasma seropositive dogs had non-specific clinical signs with low packed cell volume and thrombocytopenia. There was no statistically significant difference between seropositivity with age or gender of the dogs.