title: Serological Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi among Horses in Korea.
abstract: Lyme disease is a tick-borne zoonotic infectious disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. The present study assessed the infection status of B. burgdorferi among horses reared in Korea using ELISA and PCR. Between 2009 and 2013, blood samples were collected from 727 horses throughout Korea. Data for each animal including age, gender, breed, and region of sample collection were used for epidemiological analysis. Overall, 38 (5.2%; true prevalence: 5.5%) of 727 horses were seropositive by ELISA. There were statistically significant differences according to breed and region (P<0.001) whose differences might be attributed to the ecology of vector ticks and climate conditions. Using 2 nested PCR, none of the samples tested positive for B. burgdorferi. Thus, a positive ELISA result can indicate only that the tested horse was previously exposed to B. burgdorferi, with no certainty over the time of exposure. Since global warming is likely to increase the abundance of ticks in Korea, continuous monitoring of tick-borne diseases in Korean horses is needed.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung-Hun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Veterinary Service Lab, Institute of Public Health & Environment, Incheon 22320, Korea.
authors.forename: Sun-Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: Smile Equine Clinic, Busan 46745, Korea.
authors.forename: Eunsang
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Korea National College of Agriculture and Fisheries, Jeonju 54874, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Division of Malaria and Parasitic Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cheongju 28159, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea.
authors.forename: Gil-Jae
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea.
authors.forename: Oh-Deog
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea ; Cardiovascular Research Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea.
authors.forename: Dongmi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kwak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000502:physiology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006736:Horses; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial
keywords: Borrelia burgdorferi; ELISA; PCR; equine; serology