Sero-prevalence of granulocytic Ehrlichia spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Swedish dogs 1991-94.
In Sweden, 2 tick-borne zoonotic diseases, granulocytic ehrlichiosis and borreliosis, are frequently diagnosed in dogs, using serological assays. The aims of this study were to determine the sero-prevalences of antibodies to Ehrlichia spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato during 1991-94 in dogs, not clinically suspected to be infected with either of the 2 agents. Samples (n = 611) were selected from a serum bank using a systematic sampling strategy, stratified across the 4-y period. The stored sera had originally been submitted in order to verify or rule out infection with Sarcoptes scabiei. The overall sero-prevalence for Ehrlichia spp. was 17.7% and for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato 3.9% (n = 588). Only a few dogs in the northern part of Sweden were sero-positive for Ehrlichia spp. and none were positive for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. An increased sero-prevalence of Ehrlichia spp. was seen during the years studied. The sero-prevalence of Ehrlichia spp. varied with season. Sero-positivity to both agents increased with age. Both diseases are considered zoonotic, and the increase in sero-prevalence of Ehrlichia spp. over the years may reflect the degree of infection in ticks and may have implications for human health.
Egenvall
A
A
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala.
Bonnett
B N
BN
Gunnarsson
A
A
Hedhammar
A
A
Shoukri
M
M
Bornstein
S
S
Artursson
K
K
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000276:immunology*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D004285:Dogs; D004536:Ehrlichia / Q000276:immunology*; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012621:Seasons; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D017282:Tick-Borne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial