An ELISA investigation showed that 26.9% of dogs in Kosice region were positive for anti-borrelia IgG antibodies. A significantly higher seroprevalence was detected only in hunting dogs (40.0%) compared with service dogs (11.8%; p < 0.05). An analysis of seroprevalence by age showed a significant difference only between dogs in the categories 1-3 years (37.8%) and under 1 year of age (8.3%; p < 0.05). In other age groups no significant differences in seroprevalence were observed. No significant difference in seroprevalence was detected between sex either. A high correlation was determined to exist between the seroprevalence and the number of engorged ticks (R = 0.8) and the frequency of the exposure of dogs to the tick-infested wooded areas with the focal occurrence of boreliae (R = 1). The analysis of results suggests that seroprevalence of Lyme borreliosis in dogs of the Kosice region is not negligible. The breed, age and sex do not influence the seroprevalence of the disease. The decisive role is, however, played by the time of the exposure of dogs to the environment infested by Borrelia-contaminated ticks.

Parasitological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences Kosice Slovak Republic

Serological confirmation of Borrelia burgdorferi infection in dogs in the Czech Republic