Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Antibody responses to Lyme disease proteins in Beagle dogs after tick
By Callister, Steven M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2015·Gundersen Health System·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Antibody responses to Borrelia burgdorferi outer surface proteins C and F in experimentally infected Beagle dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Beagle dogs was infected with ticks carrying Lyme disease bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) to study their immune response. After a few months, only a small number of dogs showed antibodies against certain proteins (OspC and OspF) related to the infection. Most notably, dogs with the bacteria in their joints produced more antibodies against OspF, suggesting that this protein might be a better target for testing Lyme disease in dogs. The researchers concluded that more studies are needed to see if OspF tests could help diagnose Lyme disease in pets.
People also search for: Lyme disease in dogs symptoms · Beagle dog Lyme disease treatment · dog tick infection antibody test
Abstract
Antibody levels to outer surface proteins C and F (OspC and OspF, respectively) in sera collected from laboratory Beagle dogs at 1, 2, and 4 months after challenge with infected black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) were determined. Each dog was confirmed by culture to harbor Borrelia burgdorferi in the skin (n = 10) or the skin and joints (n = 14). Significant levels of immunoglobulin M (Ig)M or IgG anti-OspC antibodies were detected in single serum samples from only 3 (13%) dogs. Similarly, IgM anti-OspF antibodies were detected in only 1 (4%) serum sample collected from a dog with B. burgdorferi in the skin and joints. In contrast, 4 (29%) dogs with skin and joint infections produced IgG anti-OspF antibodies after 2 months, and the response expanded to include 2 (20%) dogs with skin infection and 4 additional dogs with skin and joint infections (overall sensitivity = 62%) after 4 months. The findings failed to support the utility of OspC-based antibody tests for diagnosing canine Lyme disease, but demonstrated that dogs with B. burgdorferi colonizing joint tissue most often produced significant levels of IgG anti-OspF antibodies. Therefore, additional studies to more thoroughly evaluate the clinical utility of OspF-based antibody tests are warranted.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26069225/