Patent ID: 7888054

Claim:
A method of distinguishing between animals that have been (a) infected with Ehrlichia canis ; and (b) animals that have not been infected with E. canis regardless of whether the animal has been vaccinated for E. canis , the method comprising: (a) contacting a biological sample from an animal with one or more purified polypeptides that do not specifically bind to antibodies that are a component of the animal's immune response to an E. canis vaccine; wherein the one or more purified polypeptides comprise SEQ ID NOs: 22, 23, 24, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, or 33, wherein the one or more purified polypeptides are 15 to 75 amino acids in length ; and (b) detecting whether antibodies in the biological sample specifically bind to the one or more purified E. canis polypeptides; wherein, if antibodies in the biological sample specifically bind to the one or more purified polypeptides, then the animal has been infected with E. canis.