Serological evidence of Borreliosis among companion dogs in Fars Province, South of Iran

Lyme Borreliosis is a vector-transmitted zoonotic disease caused by the spirochetes from the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. Dogs are the most susceptible domestic animals and serve as an appropriate animal model for detection of the endemic areas for Lyme borreliosis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence and seroprevalence of B. burgdorferi infection among companion dogs population in Fars province, South of Iran, from December 2014 to September 2015. Blood samples were collected from 181 asymptomatic dogs, mostly referred to Veterinary Hospital of Shiraz University for regular vaccination. The antibody detection against B. burgdorferi was made by indirect Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), employing B. burgdorferi VlsE antigen. A logistic regression model was developed to analyze multiple risk factors associated with seropositivity. Of 181 serum samples, 2 (1.1%) showed antibodies against B. burgdorferi, one was a 3-month old male watching dog with mix breed, and the other was a 2.5 year old female great din. Since no vaccination program was running in the studied population, positive samples were considered as naturally infected. The results of this study revealed the presence of B. burgdorferi infection among the companion dogs population in Fars province. In areas like Iran, where human cases of B. burgdorferi are not common or remain unreported, the public health implications of Lyme borreliosis seroprevalence in dogs are quite significant.