Hovius K Emil, van den Bergen Tess, Almalik Osama, Versmissen Ellen, Rutten Victor P, Sprong Hein, Hovius Joppe W
Amphipoda Biology and Veterinary Science, Veldhoven, the Netherlands.
Department of Applied Biology, HAS Green Academy, 's Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.
Curr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis. 2025 Apr 8;7:100258. doi: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2025.100258. eCollection 2025.
Lyme disease is caused by (), which is transmitted through species belonging to the complex. Canine Lyme Disease (CLD) is an established clinical entity in the USA. In Europe, an unambiguous diagnosis is rarely made, although it has been shown that dogs can be naturally infected and develop antibodies against (). The relation of total IgG, IgG2, and IgG1 specific antibodies and the incidence of symptoms was studied in a prospective cohort study. In a tick-dense area in the Netherlands, 84 dogs in 4 age cohorts were followed up during 7 consecutive half-years. In addition, 31 Bernese Mountain dogs (BMD), known to have robust anti- antibody responses, were clinically monitored and serologically examined. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) analysis on repeated half-year measurements of clinical and serological results showed a strong association between the clinical signs fever combined with lameness in time, which in turn was associated with transiently high total IgG titers and elevated IgG1 titers against (). In BMD, we observed seroconversions and persistence of specific high total IgG and IgG1 titers. Although the latter also developed a persistent reaction against the () C6 peptide, their tissues tested negative for () DNA. This study strongly suggests that dogs - not vaccinated against spp. infections - that encounter yearly tick infestations are recurrently infected. Some breeds, such as Labrador Retrievers and BMD, in the course of multiple tick-infestation seasons, develop transient symptoms compatible with CLD. Symptoms were strongly associated with temporarily raised total IgG and concomitant or convalescent high IgG1 antibody responses against (). Our findings provide insights into the resistance of dogs against () infections and show that transient symptoms of CLD only occur in a subset of infected dogs.
莱姆病由（）引起，通过属于（）复合体的物种传播。犬莱姆病（CLD）在美国是一种已明确的临床病症。在欧洲，尽管已表明犬可自然感染并产生针对（）的抗体，但很少能做出明确诊断。在一项前瞻性队列研究中，对总IgG、IgG2和IgG1特异性抗体与症状发生率之间的关系进行了研究。在荷兰一个蜱虫密集的地区，对4个年龄组的84只犬连续7个半年进行了随访。此外，对31只已知具有强大抗（）抗体反应的伯恩山犬（BMD）进行了临床监测和血清学检查。对临床和血清学结果的半年重复测量进行广义估计方程（GEE）分析表明，临床体征发热与跛行在时间上有很强关联，并进而与针对（）的总IgG滴度短暂升高和IgG1滴度升高有关。在BMD中，我们观察到特异性总IgG和IgG1高滴度的血清转化和持续存在。尽管后者也对（）C6肽产生持续反应，但其组织经检测（）DNA呈阴性。这项研究有力地表明，未接种针对（）属感染疫苗的犬，若每年遭遇蜱虫侵袭会反复感染。一些品种，如拉布拉多寻回犬和BMD，在多个蜱虫侵袭季节中会出现与CLD相符的短暂症状。症状与针对（）的总IgG暂时升高以及伴随或恢复期的高IgG1抗体反应密切相关。我们的研究结果为犬对（）感染的抵抗力提供了见解，并表明CLD的短暂症状仅在一部分受感染犬中出现。
