The use of chosen serological diagnostic methods in Lyme disease in horses. Part I. Indirect immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Abstract: The investigations aimed to establish the reliability of the chosen serological tests designed for the diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis in horses. The investigations were carried out in five Horse Breeding Centres (OHK). Statistical analysis methods were used to determine sample size for particular centres: Krasne (Kr)--49, Łack (Ł)--21, Walewice (W)--111, BogusŁawice (B)--17, Kozienice (K)--61. The experimental material comprised the chosen horses from which blood samples were collected in order to obtain sera. The test used for indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA No 75941, Bio-Mérieux) is commercially designed for the investigation of human sera and thus needed a prior species adaptation and standardization; ELISA (MRL DIAGNOSTICS, No EL0400G) which was also species adapted and stardandized and ELISA commercially assigned for the examination of dog or horse sera (Die System Diagnostica GmbH Borrelia burgdorferi Veterinary ELISA No. 122.00 Genzyme Virotech GmbH). In the IFA test the highest share of positive results was obtained in respect of the sera from OHK in (K)--60.7% and then in (B)--52.9%, (Ł)--42.9%, (W)--40.5%, (Kr)--38.7%. In the standardized ELISA the highest percent of positive results, amounting to 33.3%, was obtained in respect of the sera from (Ł), and then from (W)--20.7%, (K)--11.5%, (Kr)--10.2% and (B)--5.9%. The percent of positive results obtained in the commercial ELISA also agreement on a high level: the sera originating from (W) were positive in 18.9%, from (K)--9.8%, (Ł)--9.5%. (B)--5.9% and (Kr)--4.1%. Both ELISAs showed high agreement although the standardized test was characterized by a greater tendency for suggesting the presence of B. burgdorferi infection and the agreement of these two ELISAs with the IFA was not so strong. The IFA showed the highest tendency for suggesting the presence of the B. burgdorferi infection, being characterized by the highest percent of false positive results.
Publication Date: 2002-08-23 PubMed ID: 12189952
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- Evaluation Study
- Journal Article
- Multicenter Study
- Antibodies
- Blood Analysis
- Comparative Study
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease Diagnosis
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Immunofluorescence Assay
- Immunology
- Infection
- Infectious Disease
- Lyme Disease
- Serodiagnosis
- Serological Surveys
- Serum
- Statistical Analysis
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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The research article is about testing the accuracy of different serological tests in diagnosing Lyme disease in horses. The study is executed across different Horse Breeding Centres using statistical analytical methods to determine sample sizes.
Objective and Methodology
- The aim of this study was to determine the reliability of selected serological tests for diagnosing Lyme borreliosis in horses. Serological tests are blood tests carried out to detect and measure the concentration of antibodies against bacteria, in this case, Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease.
- The research was conducted across five Horse Breeding Centres (OHK) in different regions. Sample sizes for each centre were statistically determined depending on the equine population in each centre.
- The tests used include the Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Both tests needed prior adaptation and standardization for use in horses as they are initially designed for use in humans.
Results and Findings
- In the IFA test, the horse breeding centre from Kozienice (K) had the highest percentage of positive results for Lyme disease, followed by BogusŁawice (B), Łack (Ł), Walewice (W), and Krasne (Kr).
- In the standard ELISA test, the highest percentage of positive results were obtained from the sera of horses in Łack (Ł), followed by other regions in decreasing order.
- A different version of ELISA, the commercial ELISA, was also applied. It also displayed a high level of agreement with positive diagnoses, particularly from the samples from Walewice (W).
- Both forms of ELISA showed high similarities; however, the standardized test was more likely to suggest the presence of B. burgdorferi infection.
- The correlation between the positive results from the ELISA tests and the IFA test was not as strong. The IFA test was more likely to suggest the presence of B. burgdorferi infection, but also had a high percentage of false positives.
Conclusion
- The research concluded that the IFA test, despite showing higher percentages of positive Lyme disease diagnosis, also indicated high levels of false positive results. This sheds doubt on the reliability of IFA as a standalone diagnostic method for Lyme disease in horses.
- On the other hand, both variants of the ELISA test have shown greater accuracy and agreement in diagnosing Lyme disease, suggesting that they may be more reliable testing methods. However, additional research and comparative analysis with other testing methods might further validate these findings.
Cite This Article
APA
Dzierzecka M, Kita J.
(2002).
The use of chosen serological diagnostic methods in Lyme disease in horses. Part I. Indirect immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Pol J Vet Sci, 5(2), 71-77.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw Agricultural University (SGGW), Grochowska 272, 03-849 Warsaw, Poland.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antibodies, Bacterial / blood
- Borrelia burgdorferi / immunology
- Borrelia burgdorferi / isolation & purification
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / standards
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / veterinary
- Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / standards
- Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horses
- Lyme Disease / diagnosis
- Lyme Disease / veterinary
- Poland / epidemiology
- Predictive Value of Tests
- Prevalence
- Sensitivity and Specificity
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Laamari A, Azzag N, Tennah S, Derdour SY, China B, Boꯚllah R, Ghalmi F. Seroprevalence of Antibodies Against Anaplasma Phagocytophilum and Borrelia Burgdorferi in Horses (Equus Caballus) from Northern Algeria. J Vet Res 2020 Sep;64(3):413-419.
- Gehlen H, Inerle K, Bartel A, Stöckle SD, Ulrich S, Briese B, Straubinger RK. Seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum Infections in German Horses. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jun 14;13(12).
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