Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Vaccine with anti-OspA and OspC protects dogs from Lyme disease
By LaFleur, Rhonda L et al.·Published in Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI·2009·Schering Plough Animal Health Corporation, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Bacterin that induces anti-OspA and anti-OspC borreliacidal antibodies provides a high level of protection against canine Lyme disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 15 beagles were vaccinated against Lyme disease using a special bacterin, while another group received a placebo. The vaccinated dogs developed strong antibodies that protected them from the disease, and none showed signs of infection after being exposed to ticks carrying the bacteria. In contrast, most of the placebo dogs became infected, with many showing symptoms like joint stiffness and inflammation. This study shows that the new vaccine is effective in preventing Lyme disease in dogs shortly after vaccination.
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Abstract
Groups of 15 laboratory-bred beagles were vaccinated and boosted with either a placebo or adjuvanted bivalent bacterin comprised of a traditional Borrelia burgdorferi strain and a unique ospA- and ospB-negative B. burgdorferi strain that expressed high levels of OspC and then challenged with B. burgdorferi-infected Ixodes scapularis ticks. The vaccinated dogs produced high titers of anti-OspA and anti-OspC borreliacidal antibodies, including borreliacidal antibodies specific for an epitope within the last seven amino acids at the OspC carboxy terminus (termed OspC7) that was conserved among pathogenic Borrelia genospecies. In addition, spirochetes were eliminated from the infected ticks that fed on the bacterin recipients, B. burgdorferi was not isolated from the skin or joints, and antibody responses associated specifically with canine infection with B. burgdorferi were not produced. In contrast, B. burgdorferi was recovered from engorged ticks that fed on 13 (87%) placebo-vaccinated dogs (P<0.0001), skin biopsy specimens from 14 (93%) dogs (P<0.0001), and joint tissue specimens from 8 (53%) dogs (P=0.0022). In addition, 14 (93%) dogs developed specific antibody responses against B. burgdorferi proteins, including 11 (73%) with C6 peptide antibodies (P<0.0001). Moreover, 10 (67%) dogs developed Lyme disease-associated joint abnormalities (P<0.0001), including 4 (27%) dogs that developed joint stiffness or lameness and 6 (40%) that developed chronic joint inflammation (synovitis). The results therefore confirmed that the bacterin provided a high level of protection against Lyme disease shortly after immunization.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19052162/