title: Is the detection of anti-Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Rs24p) antibodies a valuable epidemiological tool of tick infestation in dogs?
abstract: Antibodies against the 24 kDa Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Rs24p) protein were detected by ELISA to evaluate the relationship between antibodies and tick infestation. The mean titer of 3 dogs that underwent 2 experimental infestations with adult ticks was transiently increased after the second infestation. There was a significant difference in mean titers between positive control dogs naturally infested with ticks and tick-naive dogs. These results suggested that anti-Rs24p antibodies detected by ELISA are a marker of tick exposure. There was no significant difference in mean titers between tick-naive dogs and seropositive dogs to Ehrlichia canis. Some dogs positive for E. canis antibodies showed, however, higher titers than most tick-naive dogs. R. sanguineus may be related to the E. canis infection in Japan.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University, Japan. InokumaHisashi@aol.com
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inokuma
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Onishi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004285:Dogs; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013987:Ticks / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies