Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria in kidneys of dogs with suspected Lyme
By Hutton, T A et al.Ā·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicineĀ·2008Ā·Department of Clinical Sciences, United StatesĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Search for Borrelia burgdorferi in kidneys of dogs with suspected "Lyme nephritis".
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs suspected of having Lyme nephritis, a serious kidney condition linked to Lyme disease, were studied to see if the bacteria causing the disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, were present in their kidneys. Researchers examined kidney tissue from 26 affected dogs but found very little evidence of the bacteria. Only one sample showed a positive result for the bacteria, while most tests were negative. This suggests that the bacteria may not directly invade the kidneys in cases of Lyme nephritis, indicating that other factors might be involved in this condition.
People also search for: dog kidney disease Lyme nephritis Ā· Lyme disease in dogs symptoms Ā· treatment for dog kidney problems
Abstract
BACKGROUND: "Lyme nephritis" is a poorly characterized condition associated with proteinuria and often fatal renal failure in dogs with serological evidence of infection with Borrelia burgdorferi. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine if intact B. burgdorferi organisms were present in the kidneys of serologically Lyme-positive dogs with histopathologic features of Lyme nephritis. ANIMALS: Twenty-six affected and 10 control dogs were identified over an 8-year period (1996-2004) in databases at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Case inclusion required serologic evidence of natural exposure to B. burgdorferi and availability of renal tissue (frozen or paraffin embedded) exhibiting pathology consistent with Lyme nephritis. METHODS: Renal tissue samples were assessed using modified Steiner (silver) (MS) staining, immunohistochemistry (IHC), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using 4 primer sets (eubacterial, B. burgdorferi, Bartonella, and canine genomic DNA), and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using a 5'-cy3-eubacterial probe for 16S rRNA. RESULTS: MS stain was positive in 1 case; IHC was negative in all cases. None of the B. burgdorferi or Bartonella PCR reactions was positive. Two of the B. burgdorferi FISH analyses were positive. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Minimal evidence of the presence of intact B. burgdorferi or any other bacterial organism was found in the renal tissue of dogs with suspected Lyme nephritis. Direct renal invasion by B. burgdorferi organisms does not appear to be responsible for this syndrome.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18564223/