![]() The aims of the study described here were to evaluate if high levels of outdoor activity can be related to an increased prevalence of antibodies to B. As dogs could be an intermediary source for human tick infestation, the risk of human Lyme disease could be increased by dog ownership. burgdorferi could be expected for hunting dogs compared to that for controls. Parallel to the findings for people with high levels of outdoor activity, a higher seroprevalence of antibodies B. burgdorferi compared to that for controls ( 22, 23, 36). People recreating or working in tick-infested areas like forests show an increased prevalence of antibodies to B. 320:183, 1989), yet in Europe the relationship of dog ownership and an increased risk of Lyme disease for the dog owners has not been studied. Moreover, it has been suggested that in the United States pet ownership increases the risk of getting Lyme disease (K. ![]() However, in Europe, the use of dogs as sentinel animals for the estimation of the risk of Lyme borreliosis for humans in that region has not been examined. burgdorferi and/or clinical symptoms of LB have been found in dogs. In Europe, relatively few reports exist on LB in animals. burgdorferi infections have been reported in dogs in the United States ( 3, 7, 26, 29, 30). burgdorferi infections or serologic evidence of B. Other but less common symptoms reported in dogs are carditis ( 25), glomerulonephritis ( 17), and neuritis ( 2 B. The most common symptom of LB in dogs is migratory arthritis ( 30) without divergent radiographic findings. ![]() Much less is known about LB in animals than is known about the disease in humans. If untreated, the disease may proceed to a second or a third stage in which neurological disorders and arthritis are common symptoms ( 42). In humans, LB in its early stages is characterized by influenza-like symptoms, followed in 60 to 80% of the cases by erythema migrans ( 40), a skin lesion that spreads outward from around the site of a tick bite. The disease is transmitted primarily by ticks feeding on mammals and birds, with the most common vector in Europe being the tick Ixodes ricinus ( 1). An animal reservoir of approximately 40 mammals and birds has been established ( 15) in Europe. Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a zoonotic disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi ( 5, 41). Because no positive correlation was observed between the seropositivity of a hunter and the seropositivity of the hunter's dog, direct transfer of ticks between dog and hunter does not seem important and owning a dog should not be considered a risk factor for Lyme borreliosis. ![]() burgdorferi infections among dogs was greater than that among hunters, despite a similar prevalence of seropositivity among hunters and their hunting dogs. In humans this is considerably longer but is also not lifelong. burgdorferi in dogs is rather short, approximately 1 year. This indicated that seropositivity after an infection with B. No significant rise in seroprevalence was found in dogs older than 24 months. The seropositivity of a hunting dog was not a significant indicator of increased risk of Lyme borreliosis for its owner. The results of this study indicate that the seroprevalence among hunting dogs (18%) was of the same order as the seroprevalence among pet dogs (17%) and hunters (15%). Additionally, 75 healthy pet dogs were tested. Serum samples from hunters ( n = 440), their hunting dogs ( n = 448), and hunters without dog ownership ( n = 53) were collected in The Netherlands at hunting dog trials and were tested for antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi by a whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. ![]()
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