Borreliosis in dogs from southern Connecticut
Magnarelli, L.A.; Anderson, J.F.; Kaufmann, A.F.; Lieberman, L.L.; Whitney, G.D.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 186(9): 955-959
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-1488 PMID: 3997647 Document Number: 251285
Blood samples were obtained from dogs in tick-infested regions of southern Connecticut to assess canine exposure to Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease in human beings. An indirect fluorescent antibody test detected IgM antibodies at titers of 1:64 to 1:512 in 22 of 84 serum samples previously positive with a polyvalent rabbit anti-dog total Ig conjugate. Analyses of paired serum samples from 20 seropositive dogs revealed temporal differences in titers; changes occurred during brief (1 mo.) or extended (> 4 yr) sampling periods. Clinical records for 52 seropositive dogs indicated a history of intermittent lameness in 19 of these. Limb/joint disorders typically developed in dogs without IgM antibodies, suggesting manifestation during later phases of illness. A microscopic-agglutination test was used to assess cross reactivity between B. burgdorferi and 20 serovars of Leptospira interrogans and biflexa. Analyses of 63 dog serum specimens with antibodies to B. burgdorferi and a series of reference rabbit sera revealed minor antigenic relatedness. There was geographic clustering of dogs with antibodies to B. burgdoferi in areas of south-central and southeastern Connecticut, where human Lyme disease occurs.