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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 July 2020
The Ehrlichia spp. are tick-borne pathogens that infect leucocytes and erythrocytes of human beings and animals (1-4). Three ehrlichial organisms, E. chaffeensis, E. equi, HGE (human granulocytic ehrlichiosis agent, equivalent to E. phagocytophila and closely related to E. equi), and Anaplasmamarginale were studied with respect to their morphology after using a combined fixative/potassium permanganate staining protocol (5). Cell cultures infected with the respective organisms were fixed and treated as follows: Tissues were initially fixed with Karnovsky's fixative [glutaraldehydeparaformaldehyde, 2.5/4.0% respectively], containing 0.1% tannic acid, in a Sorenson's phosphate buffer with 0.1M sucrose. Post fixation with OsO4 or without it occurred in some samples. En bloc staining with 1% aqueous uranyl acetate was always done. Dehydration was in a graded ethanol series followed by embedding in Spurr's™ resin. Sample sections were stained for 30-60 minutes at RT with 1% potassium permanganate. These were then washed for 5-15 seconds with 0.025-0.05% sodium citrate, jet washed with dH20, dried and examined (6).