Epidemiological investigation of Borrelia burgdorferi in horses in the municipality of Sinop—MT, Brazil

Abstract

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto is the main etiological agent of Lyme disease (LD) in the USA. In Brazil, it is believed that a similar spirochete is the causal agent of the Baggio-Yoshinari syndrome (BYS), a zoonosis also transmitted by ticks, whose clinical manifestations are similar to those of LD. Despite the epidemiological importance, there are no studies reporting the presence and the prevalence of B. burgdorferi among horses in Mato Grosso State. The aim of this study was to detect and measure the frequency of IgG antibodies anti-B. burgdorferi American strain G39/40 in horses in the municipality of Sinop, MT-Brazil, using the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for serological diagnosis. Blood samples from 367 horses were collected in 81 farms. An epidemiological questionnaire was applied during the visits to obtain information related to the animals and the farms. From the 367 horses, 214 were positive for B. burgdorferi sensu stricto according to the results of the ELISA test, representing an apparent prevalence of 54.04% [CI = 0.4548051-0.6237234]. Concomitantly, 89 blood samples were taken for molecular analysis by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). According to the PCR test results, none of the samples were reactive, although 53 of these samples were reactive according to ELISA. Seventy five farms (92.59%) had at least one reactive horse for B. burgdorferi. Our results support the hypothesis of the presence of anti-Borrelia spp. antibodies in horses in Mato Grosso, reaching a high animal prevalence. Besides that, leisure/sport purposes proved to be a risk factor, with an odds ratio of 3.16. These findings clearly indicate the need of borreliosis control in Sinop and make a significant contribution to the knowledge of the disease in Mato Grosso.

First serological detection of Borrelia spp. in dogs in western Cuba

“…in the blood of antibody-positive animals. The same results were found by Socoloski et al (2018) in Brazil and it can be explained by the low spirochetemia that occurs in chronic cases. Molecular diagnosis can be a limiting technique as it is most accurate when used during the acute phase of infection (Mantovani et al, 2012).…”

Tick-borne zoonotic agents infecting horses from an urban area in Midwestern Brazil: epidemiological and hematological features

“…Serum samples collected from horses were subjected to an ELISA assay using B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) antigen G39/40 strain diluted to 20 mg/mL according to Socoloski et al ( 2018 ). The sensitivity of the assay ranged from 82.6 to 100% in the analyses for IgG antibodies, according to Magnarelli et al ( 1994 ).…”

“…Horses have been reported infected with Anaplasma phagocytophilum and exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi and Rickettsia rickettsii , etiological agents of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), Lyme borreliosis (LB), and Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) in Brazil, respectively (Souza et al, 2016 ; Socoloski et al, 2018 ; Dos Santos et al, 2019 ). Ixodid tick vectors play an important role in the maintenance of these bacteria in endemic areas through efficient transmission mechanisms, such as transovarian transmission in the case of Rickettsia spp.…”

“…As horses do not present persistent bacteremia of A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi (s.l.) (Burbelo et al, 2011 ; Socoloski et al, 2018 ; Dos Santos et al, 2019 ) and in the case of R. rickettsii , these animals are considered refractory to infection (Ueno et al, 2016 ), infected or exposed horses by these bacteria have been designated as sentinel hosts in endemic areas (Souza et al, 2016 ; Socoloski et al, 2018 ; Dos Santos et al, 2019 ). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of horses and their related ticks in the epidemiology of these zoonotic tick-borne bacteria in Campo Grande, MS, Midwestern Brazil.…”

Serological evidence of Borrelia circulation among blood donors in the São Paulo state, Brazil

“…Therefore, it is believed that the circulating pathogenic spirochetes in Brazil are genetically similar but could not be referred to as B . burgdorferi , and probably because of this, they have never been isolated from biological samples obtained either from patients with symptoms suggestive of borreliosis or from ticks or animal reservoirs (Socoloski et al ., ).…”