Cerebrospinal fluid Lyme multiplex assay results are not diagnostic in horses with neuroborreliosis.
Abstract: The accuracy of the Lyme multiplex assay for the diagnosis of neuroborreliosis in horses is unknown. Objective: To describe Lyme multiplex results in horses with a postmortem diagnosis of neuroborreliosis. The hypothesis was that paired serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) results and a CSF : serum ratio would allow differentiation of horses with neuroborreliosis from those with other neurologic diseases. Methods: Ninety horses that had neurologic examinations, serum and CSF Lyme multiplex analyses, and postmortem examination of the nervous system performed. Methods: Retrospective study. Data collected included signalment, ante- and postmortem diagnoses, and serum and CSF Lyme multiplex results. The CSF : serum ratio was calculated by dividing CSF median fluorescent intensity (MFI) by serum MFI for each result. Results: Ten horses had a final diagnosis of neuroborreliosis, 70 were diagnosed with other neurologic diseases, and 10 had no neurologic disease. Not all horses with neuroborreliosis had positive results: 4/10 had at least 1 positive serum result, 5/10 had at least 1 positive CSF result, and 3/10 had at least 1 CSF result 4-fold higher than the corresponding serum result. Results were similar for the 70 horses with other neurologic diseases: 53% had at least 1 positive serum result, 50% had at least 1 positive CSF result, and 16% had at least 1 CSF result 4-fold higher than the corresponding serum result. Conclusions: Positive Lyme multiplex results were common in horses with neurologic diseases and did not adequately differentiate horses with neuroborreliosis from horses with other disorders.
Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
Publication Date: 2018-02-20 PubMed ID: 29460492PubMed Central: PMC5866998DOI: 10.1111/jvim.15067Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research investigates the inability of the Lyme multiplex assay, a diagnostic test for Lyme disease, to accurately diagnose neuroborreliosis, a neurological manifestation of Lyme disease, in horses.
Objective and Hypothesis
- The main objective of this study was to explore the accuracy of the Lyme multiplex results in horses that were postmortem diagnosed with neuroborreliosis, a form of Lyme disease affecting the nervous system.
- The researchers hypothesized that a comparison between serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) results, along with a CSF to serum ratio, would help to differentiate horses suffering from neuroborreliosis from horses suffering from other neurological disorders.
Methodology
- The study involved 90 horses that underwent neurological examinations and serum and CSF analyses using the Lyme multiplex assay. Additionally, each horse went through a postmortem examination of the nervous system.
- The data collected in this retrospective research consisted of the horses’ health and disease histories (signalment), ante- and postmortem diagnoses, and serum and CSF Lyme multiplex results.
- A CSF to serum ratio was calculated by dividing the median fluorescent intensity (MFI) from the CSF by the MFI from the serum for each result.
Results
- Out of the 90 horses, 10 had a final diagnosis of neuroborreliosis, 70 were diagnosed with different neurological diseases, and 10 were found free of any neurological disease.
- Not all horses with neuroborreliosis showed positive results using the Lyme multiplex assay. Only 4 out of the 10 neuroborreliosis horses had at least one positive serum result, 5 had a positive CSF result, and 3 had CSF results that were 4 times higher than the corresponding serum result.
- These results were on par with those of horses with other neurological diseases, where over half showed at least one positive result, both in serum and CSF. Additionally, 16% of these horses had a CSF result that was four times higher than the corresponding serum result.
Conclusions
- The research concluded that positive results from the Lyme multiplex assay were common in horses with neurological diseases, whether they had neuroborreliosis or not.
- The study firmly establishes that the Lyme multiplex assay is not sufficient to differentiate between horses suffering from neuroborreliosis and other neurological disorders.
Cite This Article
APA
Johnson AL, Johnstone LK, Stefanovski D.
(2018).
Cerebrospinal fluid Lyme multiplex assay results are not diagnostic in horses with neuroborreliosis.
J Vet Intern Med, 32(2), 832-838.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15067 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
- Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
- Department of Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antigens, Bacterial / blood
- Antigens, Bacterial / cerebrospinal fluid
- Borrelia burgdorferi / immunology
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horses
- Immunoassay / methods
- Immunoassay / veterinary
- Lyme Neuroborreliosis / diagnosis
- Lyme Neuroborreliosis / immunology
- Lyme Neuroborreliosis / veterinary
- Nervous System Diseases / diagnosis
- Nervous System Diseases / veterinary
- Retrospective Studies
- Seroepidemiologic Studies
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Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Divers TJ, Mongodin EF, Miller CB, Belgrave RL, Gardner RB, Fraser CM, Schutzer SE. Genomic hybrid capture assay to detect Borrelia burgdorferi: an application to diagnose neuroborreliosis in horses.. J Vet Diagn Invest 2022 Sep;34(5):909-912.
- Boorman S, Scherrer NM, Stefanovski D, Johnson AL. Facial nerve paralysis in 64 equids: Clinical variables, diagnosis, and outcome.. J Vet Intern Med 2020 May;34(3):1308-1320.
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