Emerg Infect DiseidEmerging Infectious Diseases1080-60401080-6059Centers for Disease Control109983772627953Research ArticleNaturally occurring Ehrlichia chaffeensis infection in coyotes from Oklahoma.KocanA. A.aak4453@LevesqueG. C.WhitworthL. C.MurphyG. L.EwingS. A.BarkerR. W.Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, USA.Sep-Oct200065477480

A nested polymerase chain reaction assay was used to determine the presence of Ehrlichia chaffeensis, E. canis, and E. ewingii DNA in blood samples of free-ranging coyotes from central and northcentral Oklahoma. Of the 21 coyotes examined, 15 (71%) were positive for E. chaffeensis DNA; none was positive for E. canis or E. ewingii. Results suggest that E. chaffeensis infections are common in free-ranging coyotes in Oklahoma and that these wild canids could play a role in the epidemiology of human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis.