Serosurvey for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in Danish dogs

To estimate the regional presence of B. burgdorferi we performed a serosurvey for antibodies to B. burgdorferi in 205 healthy dogs from representative areas of Denmark. Blood samples were collected from November 1986 to March 1987. Twenty dogs bred for research purposes served as negative controls. IgG-antibodies to the B. burgdorferi strain DK-ECM 1 were measured by indirect immunofluorescens assay. Antibody titers ranged from nonreactive to 640. In 33 dogs (16.1%) titres were greater than or equal to 80, indicating exposure to B. burgdorferi. There were no significant differences in the prevalence rate of seropositive dogs due to place of residence, sex or age. The results indicate that dogs are exposed to tickborne B. burgdorferi in most areas of Denmark.