<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a multisystemic tick-borne disease that can affect many organs and have various clinical manifestations in dogs. We attempted to summarise various aspects of Lyme disease: i. e., pathogenesis, epidemiology, benefits and risks of diagnostic approaches, treatment options, and prevention in dogs. Several diagnostic bottlenecks for LB in dogs and humans are compared. Because the occurrence of LB in both humans and dogs is closely related, monitoring its prevalence in dogs as sentinel animals is an excellent aid in assessing the risk of Lyme disease in a given geographic area. Although clinical symptoms in humans help clinicians diagnose LB, they are ineffective in dogs because canines rarely exhibit LB symptoms. Despite significant differences in sensitivity and specificity, sero-logical two-step detection of antibodies against <italic>Borrelia</italic> spp. (ELISA and Western blot) is the most commonly used method in humans and dogs. The limitations of the assay highlight the need for further research to develop new clinical markers and more accurate diagnostic tests. Due to the lack of a specific all-encompassing LB test, a definitive diagnosis of LB remains a difficult and time-consuming process in human and veterinary medicine. Understanding the disease prevalence and diagnostics, as well as preventing its spread with effective and timely treatment, are fundamental principles of good disease management.</p>
</abstract>

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a multisystemic tick-borne disease that can affect many organs and have various clinical manifestations in dogs. We attempted to summarise various aspects of Lyme disease: i. e., pathogenesis, epidemiology, benefits and risks of diagnostic approaches, treatment options, and prevention in dogs. Several diagnostic bottlenecks for LB in dogs and humans are compared. Because the occurrence of LB in both humans and dogs is closely related, monitoring its prevalence in dogs as sentinel animals is an excellent aid in assessing the risk of Lyme disease in a given geographic area. Although clinical symptoms in humans help clinicians diagnose LB, they are ineffective in dogs because canines rarely exhibit LB symptoms. Despite significant differences in sensitivity and specificity, sero-logical two-step detection of antibodies against Borrelia spp. (ELISA and Western blot) is the most commonly used method in humans and dogs. The limitations of the assay highlight the need for further research to develop new clinical markers and more accurate diagnostic tests. Due to the lack of a specific all-encompassing LB test, a definitive diagnosis of LB remains a difficult and time-consuming process in human and veterinary medicine. Understanding the disease prevalence and diagnostics, as well as preventing its spread with effective and timely treatment, are fundamental principles of good disease management.

Lyme Borreliosis in Dogs: Background, Epidemiology, Diagnostics, Treatment and Prevention

Laboratory of Biomedical Microbiology and Immunology

University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice

Folia Veterinaria

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a multisystemic tick-borne disease that can affect many organs and have various clinical manifestations in dogs. We attempted to...

Lyme Borreliosis in Dogs: Background, Epidemiology, Diagnostics, Treatment and Prevention

Published Online: Mar 19, 2023

Page range: 75 - 90

Received: Jan 15, 2023

Accepted: Feb 16, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fv-2023-0009

Keywords
borreliosis, diagnostics, dogs, Lyme disease, treatment

© 2023 M. Milkovičová et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Lyme Borreliosis in Dogs: Background, Epidemiology, Diagnostics, Treatment and Prevention

Published Online: Mar 19, 2023

Page range: 75 - 90

Received: Jan 15, 2023

Accepted: Feb 16, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fv-2023-0009

Keywordsborreliosis, diagnostics, dogs, Lyme disease, treatment

© 2023 M. Milkovičová et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
borreliosis, diagnostics, dogs, Lyme disease, treatment