Note also that Ehrlichia ewingii infects the granulocytes of dogs and cause signs of fever, lameness and thrombocytopenia similar to human infection with A. phagocytophila. In Nature, E. ewingii is transmitted by the lone-star tick, Amblyomma americanum and white-tailed deer is one of its reservoirs. Importantly, E. ewingii could be a synonym of E. canis.