1. Serologic prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis, Ehrlichia canis, and Borrelia burgdorferi infections in Brazil.
- Author
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Labarthe N, de Campos Pereira M, Barbarini O, McKee W, Coimbra CA, and Hoskins J
- Subjects
- Animals, Antibodies, Bacterial analysis, Antigens, Bacterial analysis, Antigens, Helminth analysis, Borrelia Infections immunology, Borrelia Infections veterinary, Borrelia burgdorferi isolation & purification, Brazil epidemiology, Dirofilaria immitis isolation & purification, Dirofilariasis immunology, Dog Diseases immunology, Dog Diseases microbiology, Dog Diseases parasitology, Dogs, Ehrlichia canis isolation & purification, Ehrlichiosis immunology, Ehrlichiosis veterinary, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Female, Male, Seroepidemiologic Studies, Borrelia Infections epidemiology, Borrelia burgdorferi immunology, Dirofilaria immitis immunology, Dirofilariasis epidemiology, Dog Diseases epidemiology, Ehrlichia canis immunology, Ehrlichiosis epidemiology
- Abstract
Dogs infected with Dirofilaria immitis, Ehrlichia canis, or Borrelia burgdorferi may show nonspecific clinical signs or may be asymptomatic. In Brazil, E. canis and D. immitis infections are frequently diagnosed based on the presence of classical signs; however, serologic tests are seldom performed to confirm the presence of infection. To estimate the seroprevalence of these three canine diseases in Brazil, 2,553 dogs presented at veterinary practices for various tests, routine treatments, or examinations were evaluated by an in-office commercial ELISA test kit (SNAP 3Dx, IDEXX Laboratories). Each dog was examined by the veterinarian, and a whole-blood sample was collected and immediately tested for the simultaneous detection of B. burgdorferi and E. canis antibodies and D. immitis antigen. D. immitis infection was detected in 51 dogs (2.0%) and E. canis antibodies were present in 505 dogs 19.8%). Only one dog tested positive for B. burgdorferi antibodies.
- Published
- 2003