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Discussion on New Article: Lyme Disease
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - 10:12 am:
Lyme disease was first described in 1975 when an outbreak of poly-arthritis occurred in children in the town of Lyme, Connecticut. In the early 1980's the spirochete bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi was the first reports of the incidence of the disease and the vector deer (also known as the black legged) tick identified. Shortly thereafter the disease was diagnosed in dogs and associated with poly-arthritis and major organ disease including the kidneys and heart. Experimental studies were able to reproduce the disease using ticks to infect dogs and having similar symptoms develop in a percentage of the dogs. This showed Lyme disease to be a real possibility in dogs with signs of lameness from arthritis.
Serological testing of horses indicated that they too are readily infected by this organism and by the 90's the disease was being diagnosed in horses based on clinical signs and seropositivity. Though Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease occurring in people and probably in dogs in the United States, questions remain about the significance of diagnosis based on symptoms and seropositivity in horses. This article discusses what is known about this disease in horses including life cycle, modes of transmission, clinical signs, diagnosis, and possible treatment of this disease in horses.
To access article click on Lyme Disease, Borreliosis, in Horses on the navigation bar at the top of this page.
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Member:
cpacer
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Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 7:44 am:
DrO, would R. rickettsii (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever) transmitted by the Dog Tick fall under similar guidelines? I think it's treated the same as Lyme in people.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, May 15, 2008 - 7:02 am:
cp,
I am unsure what you mean by similar guidelines but horses are not known to develop RMSF though they do contract the organism and develop a titer. The organism, Rickettsia rickettsia, is very different than the spirochete Lyme organism so there will be important differences in their life cycle. One important difference that comes to mind is that Rickettsia r. has tick to tick and transovarial (through the egg) transmission. This is not known to occur with Borrlia. You are right, they are both treated with tetracycline.
DrO
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