Lyme Disease | CAPC Vet

Species

Canine
Borrelia burgdorferi

Feline*
Borrelia burgdorferi

*Despite the common finding of antibodies reactive to B. burgdorferi in cats in endemic areas, natural disease caused by infection in cats—if it occurs at all—is poorly understood. Accordingly, little is known about the prevalence of infection, disease manifestations, and treatment recommendations for feline infections with this agent.

Public Health Considerations

• Lyme borreliosis caused by B. burgdorferi is the most common vector-borne disease of people in the United States. Symptoms of human Lyme disease include erythema migrans (an ‘bull’s-eye-shaped’ rash expanding from the site of the tick bite), fever, myalgia, arthralgia, and headache. Persistent Lyme disease in people may be manifested by recurrent arthritis, neurologic disease, and myocarditis.


• People contract B. burgdorferi infection the same way that pets do: via the bite of an infected tick from a tick-infested environment. Pets are not an immediate source of infection to people, but the use of acaricides is nonetheless recommended to prevent tick feeding on both exposed and unexposed pets.

Epidemiologists at the CDC reported a positive correlation between canine seroprevalence levels reported on the CAPC website to the incidence of human Lyme disease reported to the CDC. In this study, these investigators also reported that >5% canine seroprevalence at the county level was associated with emergence of human Lyme disease, while <1% canine seroprevalence was associated with little to no risk for emergence of human Lyme disease at the county level. Importantly, these results corroborated the feasibility of canine sentinels for risk of human exposure to B. burgdorferi. This study was not designed to test for a canine source of human infection. A subsequent report from the same group underscored the importance of maximal participation of veterinarians and veterinary clinics in these surveys to ensure sufficient amounts of data and to follow-up with travel histories of seropositive canine patients, in order to mitigate artifact associated with seroconverted dogs that have traveled to endemic areas. 

• Prevention of human infection with B. burgdorferi relies on preventing tick bites in people through many of the same measures that prevent tick bites on animals. In addition to stringent adherence to the routine use of acaricides on pets to limit infestations, people should take basic precautions when in tick-infested areas. Such precautions include wearing light-colored, protective clothing; performing frequent tick checks and promptly removing any ticks found; and using repellent products specifically labeled as effective at preventing tick attachment.