title: Antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in sheep and goats. Alto Adige-South Tyrol, Italy.
abstract: A serologic survey for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi was conducted on sheep and goat serum samples collected in Alto Adige-South Tyrol, Italy, in 1990. Sera were tested by Indirect Immune Fluorescence Assay (IIFA) and Microbial Adherence Immobilization Assay (MAIA). IIFA and/or MAIA anti-B. burgdorferi antibodies were detected in 14.1% of the 269 sheep and 36.8% of the 133 goats examined. IIFA and MAIA were both positive in 4 out of 38 positive sheep sera (10.5%) and 21 out of 49 positive goat sera (42.8%). These discrepancies suggest that MAIA- and IIFA-detected antibodies do differ from each other. The detection by MAIA of antibodies sensitizing B. burgdorferi to the killing effect of complement seems to be a valid parameter to evaluate the acquired immunity of sheep and goats to B. burgdorferi infections.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Bacteriology and Medical Mycology, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ciceroni
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Simeoni
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Pacetti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ciarrocchi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cacciapuoti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000276:immunology*; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006041:Goats / Q000276:immunology; D007110:Immunity, Active; D007558:Italy; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015995:Prevalence; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012756:Sheep / Q000276:immunology; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial