title: Comparison of effectiveness of cefovecin, doxycycline, and amoxicillin for the treatment of experimentally induced early Lyme borreliosis in dogs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While Koch's postulates have been fulfilled for Lyme disease; causing transient fever, anorexia and arthritis in young dogs; treatment of sero-positive dogs, especially asymptomatic animals, remains a topic of debate. To complicate this matter the currently recommended antibiotic treatments of Lyme Disease in dogs caused by Borrelia burgdorferi require daily oral administrations for 31 days or longer, which makes non-compliance a concern. Additionally, there is no approved veterinary antimicrobial for the treatment of Lyme Disease in dogs in the USA and few recommended treatments have been robustly tested. In vitro testing of cefovecin, a novel extended-spectrum cephalosporin, demonstrated inhibition of spirochete growth. A small pilot study in dogs indicated that two cefovecin injections two weeks apart would be as efficacious against B. burgdorferi sensu stricto as the recommended treatments using doxycycline or amoxicillin daily for 31 days. This hypothesis was tested in 17-18 week old Beagle dogs, experimentally infected with B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, using wild caught ticks, 75 days prior to antimicrobial administration.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clinical observations for lameness were performed daily but were inconclusive as this characteristic sign of Lyme Disease rarely develops in the standard laboratory models of experimentally induced infection. However, each antibiotic tested was efficacious against B. burgdorferi as measured by a rapid elimination of spirochetes from the skin and reduced levels of circulating antibodies to B. burgdorferi. In addition, significantly less cefovecin treated animals had Lyme Disease associated histopathological changes compared to untreated dogs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Convenia was efficacious against B. burgdorferi sensu stricto infection in dogs as determined by serological testing, PCR and histopathology results. Convenia provides an additional and effective treatment option for Lyme Disease in dogs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. bw73@cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Zoetis, 333 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, USA. john.c.johnson@zoetis.com.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Zoetis, 333 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, USA. david.garcia-tapia@zoetis.com.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Garcia-Tapia
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Zoetis, 333 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, USA. nicole.a.honsberger@zoetis.com.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Honsberger
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Zoetis, 333 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, USA. vickie.l.king@zoetis.com.
authors.forename: Vickie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Zoetis, 333 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, USA. catherine.j.strietzel@zoetis.com.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Strietzel
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Zoetis, 333 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, USA. john.m.hardham@zoetis.com.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hardham
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Zoetis, 333 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, USA. thomas.heinz@zoetis.com.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Heinz
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, PO Box 980678, VA, 23298, USA. rmarconi@vcu.edu.
authors.forename: Richard T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Marconi
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Zoetis, 333 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007, USA. patrick.meeus@zoetis.com.
authors.forename: Patrick F M
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Meeus
mesh_terms: D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D004285:Dogs; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D010865:Pilot Projects
chemical_list: D002511:Cephalosporins; C516253:cefovecin; D000658:Amoxicillin; D004318:Doxycycline