Generally the submandibular and cervical nodes are affected, as well as the mesenteric nodes, but they are not as easily palpable. Necropy demostrates that infection does not occur in lung tissue. Infection disseminates throughout other tissues, including spleen, liver, and bone marrow. Common lab findings are a low-grade nonregenerative anemia and elevated WBC, other lab findings are inconsistent among known cases until the disease has progressed significantly.
Ingestion seems to be considered the primary route of infection.
The incubation period is not known. Treatment attempts have failed in all cases I am aware of to date. This may be due in part to the stage of illness upon initial diagnosis. Most dogs infected were not seen by a vet until the stage of lymphadenopathy, by which time the pathogen had probably infiltrated other organs through the lymphatic system. In addition, isolation of the organism is slow.