Antibodies to OspC, OspF and C6 antigens as indicators for infection with Borrelia burgdorferi in horses.
Abstract: Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted by infected ticks (Ixodes spp.). Reports on Lyme disease in horses have increased in recent years. Nevertheless, the diagnosis of Lyme disease in horses is still challenging owing to its vague clinical presentation and the limitations of diagnostic tests. Objective: This study used a new serological Lyme multiplex assay to examine antibody responses to 3 antigens of B. burgdorferi, outer surface protein (Osp) C, OspF and C6, and to verify their use as markers for early and late infection stages in horses. Methods: Multiplex analysis of antibodies to OspC, OspF and C6 in equine patient sera (n = 191) was performed. A subset of the sera (n = 90) was also tested using a commercial C6-based Lyme test. Results: Antibodies to OspF and C6 highly correlate as reliable markers of infection with B. burgdorferi in horses. Antibodies to OspC, which have been confirmed as early infection markers in man and dogs, were only detected in some patient sera, suggesting that OspC antibodies are indicators of early infection in horses. Commercial C6 testing identified most infected horses but also resulted in false positive and false negative interpretations. Conclusions: Serological multiplex testing is a rapid and quantitative diagnostic method to confirm infection with B. burgdorferi and to identify the stage of infection. In horses with risk of exposure and clinical signs, multiplex testing supports the diagnosis of Lyme disease. Conclusions: Antimicrobial treatment of B. burgdorferi is time sensitive. Treatment success decreases with time of persistent infection, while the risk of developing chronic disease increases. The ability to identify early infection with B. burgdorferi provides practitioners and clinicians with a tool to improve the diagnosis of equine Lyme disease and make treatment decisions.
© 2012 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2013-02-22 PubMed ID: 23432019DOI: 10.1111/evj.12033Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research investigated the use of a new serological Lyme multiplex assay for diagnosing Lyme disease in horses. By testing the horse’s antibody responses to three antigens of Borrelia burgdorferi (OspC, OspF and C6), the research aimed to establish these as markers for different stages of infection.
Study Objective and Methods
- The study aimed at exploring the efficacy of a new Lyme multiplex test to identify antibodies to three specific antigens of B. burgdorferi (namely OspC, OspF and C6) in horse’s sera.
- This assay was designed to serve as a diagnostic tool to identify Lyme disease in horses and to distinguish between the early and late stages of infection.
- A total number of 191 equine patient sera were subjected to multiplex analysis. In addition, 90 patient sera from the initially tested samples were further examined using a widely recognized commercial C6-based Lyme test.
Results
- The research revealed a strong correlation between antibodies to OspF and C6 as reliable markers of Lyme disease in horses.
- While OspC antibodies were found in a few horse sera, they seemed to be indicators of only the initial stage of infection, similar to patterns observed previously in human and dogs cases.
- The commercial C6 testing, used as a comparison, was able to identify most infected horses; however, it was also resulted in some false positive and negative results.
Conclusions
- The research findings support the use of serological multiplex testing as a reliable diagnostic method for confirming the presence of B. burgdorferi and to identify the stage of infection in horses.
- The multiplex testing aids in diagnosing equine Lyme disease in cases of potential exposure and accompanying clinical signs, providing an advanced tool for practitioners and clinicians to make more accurate treatment decisions.
- Considering that the appropriate treatment for B. burgdorferi is time-sensitive, with delayed treatments causing reduced success rates and increasing risks of chronic condition development, the new test allows for early infection detection and treatment initiation.
Cite This Article
APA
Wagner B, Goodman LB, Rollins A, Freer HS.
(2013).
Antibodies to OspC, OspF and C6 antigens as indicators for infection with Borrelia burgdorferi in horses.
Equine Vet J, 45(5), 533-537.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12033 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, New York, USA. bw73@cornell.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antibodies, Bacterial / blood
- Antigens, Bacterial / immunology
- Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / immunology
- Borrelia burgdorferi / metabolism
- Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Lipoproteins / immunology
- Lyme Disease / blood
- Lyme Disease / immunology
- Lyme Disease / microbiology
- Lyme Disease / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Neely M, Arroyo L, Jardine C, Clow K, Moore A, Hazlett M, Weese JS. Evaluation of 2 ELISAs to determine Borrelia burgdorferi seropositivity in horses over a 12-month period.. J Vet Diagn Invest 2021 Jul;33(4):736-739.
- Hatke AL, Green DR, Stasiak K, Marconi RT. Antibody profiling of a Borreliella burgdorferi (Lyme disease) C6 antibody positive, symptomatic Rottweiler and her pups.. Vet J 2020 Aug;262:105504.
- Houben RMAC, Meersschaert C, Hendrickx G, Pitel PH, Amory H. Modelling the probability and impact of false-positive serology for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato: A case study.. Equine Vet J 2021 Jan;53(1):71-77.
- Chou E, Lasek-Nesselquist E, Taubner B, Pilar A, Guignon E, Page W, Lin YP, Cady NC. A fluorescent plasmonic biochip assay for multiplex screening of diagnostic serum antibody targets in human Lyme disease.. PLoS One 2020;15(2):e0228772.
- Divers TJ, Gardner RB, Madigan JE, Witonsky SG, Bertone JJ, Swinebroad EL, Schutzer SE, Johnson AL. Borrelia burgdorferi Infection and Lyme Disease in North American Horses: A Consensus Statement.. J Vet Intern Med 2018 Mar;32(2):617-632.
- Basile RC, Yoshinari NH, Mantovani E, Bonoldi VN, Macoris DD, Queiroz-Neto A. Brazilian borreliosis with special emphasis on humans and horses.. Braz J Microbiol 2017 Jan-Mar;48(1):167-172.
- Schvartz G, Epp T, Burgess HJ, Chilton NB, Pearl DL, Lohmann KL. Seroprevalence of equine granulocytic anaplasmosis and lyme borreliosis in Canada as determined by a point-of-care enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).. Can Vet J 2015 Jun;56(6):575-80.
- Rogovskyy AS, Bankhead T. Bacterial heterogeneity is a requirement for host superinfection by the Lyme disease spirochete.. Infect Immun 2014 Nov;82(11):4542-52.
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