The United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Health

The United States of America

The United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of

Jacqueline E Dawson

Burt E Anderson

Yasuko Rikihisa

A new isolate of Ehrlichia species has been obtained from a patient suffering from ehrlichiosis. The new isolate has been found to be similar, but distinctly different from . A diagnostic kit and methods for diagnosing ehrlichiosis in humans and for screening drugs toxic to the new isolate have been described.

Identification of a new ehrlichia species from a patient suffering from ehrlichiosis

This invention provides a purified immortalized human endothelial cell infected with Ehrlichia chaffeensis or Ehrlichia canis. Also provided is a method of simultaneously screening a sample from a human subject for the presence of E. chaffeensis and Rickettsia rickettsii comprising contacting the sample with immortalized human endothelial cells under conditions which allow infection of the cells and detecting the presence of infection, the presence of infection indicating the presence of E. chaffeensis and/or R. rickettsii. The invention also provides a method of screening a sample from a human subject for the presence of E. chaffeensis comprising contacting the sample with endothelial cells under conditions which allow infection of the cells by E. chaffeensis and detecting the presence of infection by E. chaffeensis, the presence of infection by E. chaffeensis indicating the presence of E. chaffeensis in the sample. Finally, the invention provides a method of culturing E. chaffeensis or E. canis comprising contacting E. chaffeensis or E. canis with immortalized human endothelial cells under conditions which allow the propagation of E. chaffeensis or E. canis.

Use of human immortalized endothelial cells to isolate and propagate

A new isolate of Ehrlichia species has been obtained from a patient suffering from ehrlichiosis. The new isolate has been found to be similar, but distinctly different from E. canis. A diagnostic kit and methods for diagnosing ehrlichiosis in humans and for screening drugs toxic to the new isolate have been described.

Identification of a new Ehrlichia species from a patient suffering from

A new isolate of Ehrlichia species has been obtained from a patient suffering from ehrlichiosis. The new isolate has been found to be similar, but distinctly different from E. canis. The new isolate is E. chaffeensis and is contained in a cell line of canine macrophage cells on deposit with the American Type Culture Collection under accession number CRL 10679. The new isolate must be contained in a cell line in order to remain viable but may be isolated from the cell line. However, the isolate will not remain viable outside of the cell line. A diagnostic kit and methods for diagnosing ehrlichiosis in humans and for screening drugs toxic to the new isolate have also been desclosed.

Ehrlichia species from a patient suffering from ehrlichiosis

This invention provides a purified immortalized human endothelial cell infected with Ehrlichia chaffeensis or Ehrlichia canis. Also provided is a method of simultaneously screening a sample from a human subject for the presence of E. chaffeensis and Rickettsia rickettsii comprising contacting the sample with immortalized human endothelial cells under conditions which allow infection of the cells and detecting the presence of infection, the presence of infection indicating the presence of E. chaffeensis and/or R. rickettsii. The invention also provides a method of screening a sample from a human subject for the presence of E. chaffeensis comprising contacting the sample with endothelial cells under conditions which allow infection of the cells by E. chaffeensis and detecting the presence of infection by E. chaffeensis the presence of infection by E. chaffeensis indicating the presence of E. chaffeensis in the sample. Finally, the invention provides a method of culturing E. chaffeensis or E. canis comprising contacting E. chaffeensis or E. canis with immortalized human endothelial cells under conditions which allow the propagation of E. chaffeensis or E. canis.

The present invention relates to a method of continually propagating Ehrlichia canis in a microphage-monocyte cell line referred to as DH82.

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Atlanta, GA, United States of America

Jacqueline E Dawson