Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Borrelia burgdorferi antibody rates in dogs and horses in Turkey
By Bhide, Mangesh et al.·Published in Annals of agricultural and environmental medicine : AAEM·2008·University of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Seroprevalence of anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in dogs and horses in Turkey.
Plain-English summary
A study found that 93 out of 400 dogs in Turkey tested positive for antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. The most common symptoms in these dogs included skin problems, urinary tract issues, and anemia. Interestingly, no symptoms were observed in the horses tested. This research highlights the presence of Lyme disease in dogs in Turkey and introduces a new testing method that could help in diagnosing this condition.
People also search for: dog Lyme disease symptoms · skin problems in dogs · urinary tract infection in dogs · anemia in dogs · Lyme disease test for dogs
Abstract
The aim of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in a population of Turkish dogs and horses, as well as to compare the sensitivity of novel flow-cytometry-based borreliacidal antibody test (BAT) with ELISA assay. Serum samples collected from 400 dogs and 300 horses were tested with enzyme-linked protein A/G assay (ELPAGA), using Borrelia whole cell antigens. ELPAGA test showed 93 dogs (23.2%) and 18 horses (6%) serologically positive for anti-Borrelia antibodies. In parallel testing of sera with BAT, we found 27.75% positive dogs and 6.33% positive horses. When the results of these serological testes were compared with the health status of the animals, the most common clinical signs noticed in dogs were skin manifestations, urinary tract disorder and anemia; however, no clinical symptoms were observed in horses positive for the anti-Borrelia antibodies. This is a first time that seroprevalence of Lyme disease in dogs and horses has been reported from Turkey, as well as the use of novel BAT in animals.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18581984/