Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How an ELISA blood test helps diagnose sarcoptic mange in dogs
By Lower, K S et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2001·University of Georgia, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the serological diagnosis of sarcoptic mange in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with skin problems were tested for sarcoptic mange, a condition caused by tiny mites that can be hard to detect. Researchers used a blood test called an ELISA to help diagnose the disease, finding that it was effective in identifying infected dogs. Out of 19 dogs with mange, 16 tested positive before treatment, while most healthy dogs tested negative. After treatment, some dogs still had detectable antibodies for up to 4.5 months, indicating the test can help confirm past infections. This blood test could be a helpful tool for vets in diagnosing scabies in dogs.
People also search for: dog skin problems scabies · sarcoptic mange treatment for dogs · how to diagnose dog mange
Abstract
Canine scabies is a challenging disease to diagnose because sarcoptic mites are hard to find on skin scrapings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a serologic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as an aid in the diagnosis of canine scabies. In addition, serum samples were obtained post treatment to determine the duration and persistence of circulating scabies antibodies after resolution of natural infection. Nineteen dogs diagnosed with sarcoptic mange and 38 control dogs were tested. Sixteen scabies-infested dogs showed positive pretreatment ELISA results (84.2% sensitivity). Thirty-four control dogs showed negative ELISA results (89.5% specificity). In the 11 scabies dogs from which multiple post treatment serum samples were obtained, detectable antibodies were not present 1 month after treatment in four cases, but were present for 1-4.5 months post treatment in seven dogs. Our results suggest that this scabies ELISA test is useful in the diagnosis of canine scabies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11844220/