Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Antibodies to tick and leptospira infections in Bernese Mountain Dogs
By Preyß-Jägeler, C et al.·Published in Tierarztliche Praxis. Ausgabe K, Kleintiere/Heimtiere·2016·Christine Preyß·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Leptospira interrogans serovars in Bernese Mountain Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Bernese Mountain Dogs was found to have higher levels of antibodies against certain infections compared to other large dog breeds. Specifically, 43.3% of these dogs tested positive for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacteria that causes Lyme disease), and over half had antibodies against Anaplasma phagocytophilum, which can cause fever and other symptoms. They also showed higher antibody levels for some types of Leptospira, which can lead to serious kidney and liver issues. While this study highlights the increased risk for these infections in Bernese Mountain Dogs, the exact reasons and health implications are still unclear.
People also search for: Bernese Mountain Dog Lyme disease risk · dog antibody testing for infections · Leptospira in dogs symptoms
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Bernese Mountain Dogs (BMD) have a higher prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) antibodies than other breeds, but it is not known whether this is the case for other pathogens. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the frequency and level of specific antibodies against members of the Bbsl group, Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap), and Leptospira (L.) interrogans serovars in BMD and compare the results with those found in dogs of other breeds. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 171 healthy BMD and 57 healthy control dogs of other breeds were included in the study. Controls were large dogs (> 30 kg) with long, dark hair coats. A two-tiered testing method consisting of computerized kinetic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (KELA) and Western blotting was used for detection of antibodies against Bbsl, an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) was used for detection of antibodies against Ap, and microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for antibodies to 18 different serovars of L. interrogans. RESULTS: The prevalence of anti-Bbsl antibodies was significantly higher in BMD (43.3%) than in controls (17.5%) (p < 0.001). Antibodies to Bbsl attributable to vaccination were excluded from the calculation of prevalence. Antibodies to Ap were found in 50.3% of BMD, whereas only 24.6% of the controls dogs were tested positive for Ap (p < 0.001). Antibody titers of the 18 different serovars of L. interrogans antibodies did not differ significantly between BMD and control dogs except for L. copenhageni antibody titers which were higher in BMD. Significantly higher antibody titers to L. canicola (p = 0.003), L. copenhageni (p = 0.005), L. grippothyphosa (p = 0.029) and L. vanderhoedoni (p = 0.035) were seen in BMD compared to control dogs. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: BMD had a higher prevalence of anti-Bbsl, anti-L. copenhageni and anti-Ap antibodies than control dogs. Significantly higher antibody titers against L. canicola (p = 0.003), L. copenhageni (p = 0.005), L. grippothyphosa (p = 0.029) and L. vanderhoedoni (p = 0.035) were seen in BMD compared with control dogs, but the reason for this and potential clinical implications are not known.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27004451/