How Changing Tick-Borne Disease Prevalence in Dogs Affects Diagnostic Testing.

Abstract

Ixodes scapularis (the deer tick), Amblyomma americanum (the lone star tick) and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (the brown dog tick) are ticks that commonly parasitize dogs in the United States. In the first part of this article, we will examine their changing epidemiology to illustrate how being aware of their distribution and adapting diagnostic testing to include a broad range of pathogens may improve our ability to identify and help infected patients, especially those with suspected idiopathic immune-mediated disease. We will then discuss how to optimize testing for these pathogens using available panels.