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      Tick‐Borne Relapsing Fever in Dogs

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          Abstract

          Background

          In the United States, Tick‐Borne Relapsing Fever (TBRF) in dogs is caused by the spirochete bacteria Borrelia turicatae and Borrelia hermsii, transmitted by Ornithodoros spp. ticks. The hallmark diagnostic feature of this infection is the visualization of numerous spirochetes during standard blood smear examination. Although the course of spirochetemia has not been fully characterized in dogs, in humans infected with TBRF the episodes of spirochetemia and fever are intermittent.

          Objectives

          To describe TBRF in dogs by providing additional case reports and reviewing the disease in veterinary and human medicine.

          Animals

          Five cases of privately‐owned dogs naturally infected with TBRF in Texas are reviewed.

          Methods

          Case series and literature review.

          Results

          All dogs were examined because of lethargy, inappetence, and pyrexia. Two dogs also had signs of neurologic disease. All dogs had thrombocytopenia and spirochetemia. All cases were administered tetracyclines orally. Platelet numbers improved and spirochetemia and pyrexia resolved in 4 out of 5 dogs, where follow‐up information was available.

          Conclusion and Clinical Importance

          TBRF is likely underdiagnosed in veterinary medicine. In areas endemic to Ornithodoros spp. ticks, TBRF should be considered in dogs with thrombocytopenia. Examination of standard blood smears can provide a rapid and specific diagnosis of TBRF when spirochetes are observed.

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          Most cited references23

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          Tick-borne relapsing fever.

          Each year, many residents of and visitors to endemic regions of the western United States are exposed to the tick vectors of tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF), Ornithodoros hermsi, Ornithodoros turicata, or Ornithodoros parkeri. This disease is remarkable because the human host is unaware of the tick bite, usually becomes very ill, may experience an exacerbation of symptoms rather than improvement shortly after beginning appropriate treatment, and, despite often high numbers of the etiologic organism in the blood, rarely dies as a result of the illness. Although relapsing fever is acquired in many parts of the world, this article focuses primarily on knowledge about TBRF in North America.
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            GlpQ: an antigen for serological discrimination between relapsing fever and Lyme borreliosis.

            Tick-borne relapsing fever is caused by numerous Borrelia species maintained in nature by Ornithodoros tick-mammal cycles. Serological confirmation is based on either an immunofluorescence assay or an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using whole cells or sonicated Borrelia hermsii as the antigen. However, antigenic variability of this bacterium's outer surface proteins and antigens shared with the Lyme disease spirochete (B. burgdorferi), may cause both false-negative and false-positive results when testing sera of patients suspected to have either relapsing fever or Lyme disease. To develop a specific serological test for relapsing fever, we created a genomic DNA library of B. hermsii, screened transformed Escherichia coli cells for immunoreactivity with high-titered (> or = 1:2,048) human anti-B. hermsii antiserum, and selected an immunoreactive clone (pSPR75) expressing a 39-kDa protein. DNA sequencing, subcloning, and serum adsorption experiments identified the immunoreactive protein as a homolog of GlpQ, a glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase identified previously in E. coli, Haemophilus influenzae, and Bacillus subtilis. Serum samples from humans and mice infected with B. hermsii or other species of relapsing fever spirochetes contained antibodies recognizing GlpQ, whereas serum samples from Lyme disease and syphilis patients were nonreactive. Serologic tests based on this antigen will identify people exposed previously to relapsing fever spirochetes and help clarify the distribution of relapsing fever and Lyme disease in situations in which the occurrence of their causative agents is uncertain.
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              Tick-borne relapsing fever in North America.

              Relapsing fever is characterized by recurring episodes of fever and nonspecific symptoms (e.g., headache, myalgia, arthralgia, shaking chills, and abdominal complaints). The illness is caused by an infection from the Borrelia species (spirochetes) that may be acquired through the bite of an infected tick (Ornithodoros species) or contact with the hemolymph of an infected human body louse (Pediculus humanus). In North America, most cases have been acquired in the western United States, southern British Columbia, and few cases have been reported from Mexico. Most cases have been acquired from exposure to rustic tick-infested cabins and caves. This article reviews relapsing fever, especially tick-borne relapsing fever in North America.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                JPiccione@tvmdl.tamu.edu
                Journal
                J Vet Intern Med
                J. Vet. Intern. Med
                10.1111/(ISSN)1939-1676
                JVIM
                Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine
                John Wiley and Sons Inc. (Hoboken )
                0891-6640
                1939-1676
                28 June 2016
                Jul-Aug 2016
                : 30
                : 4 ( doiID: 10.1111/jvim.2016.30.issue-4 )
                : 1222-1228
                Affiliations
                [ 1 ] Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic LaboratoryTexas A&M University College Station TX
                [ 2 ] Department of Veterinary PathobiologyCollege of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences Texas A&M University College Station TX
                [ 3 ] Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences Texas A&M University College Station TX
                Author notes
                [*] [* ]Corresponding author: J. Piccione, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, PO Drawer 3040, College Station, TX 77841; e‐mail: JPiccione@ 123456tvmdl.tamu.edu .
                Article
                JVIM14363
                10.1111/jvim.14363
                5094544
                27353196
                3be96e4c-72ea-4477-8dcb-8353898d4392
                Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine .

                This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.

                History
                : 07 April 2015
                : 25 February 2016
                : 18 May 2016
                Page count
                Figures: 2, Tables: 0, Pages: 7, Words: 5474
                Funding
                Funded by: AgriLife
                Award ID: TEXV 6579
                Categories
                Standard Article
                SMALL ANIMAL
                Standard Article
                Infectious Disease
                Custom metadata
                2.0
                jvim14363
                July/August 2016
                Converter:WILEY_ML3GV2_TO_NLMPMC version:4.9.6 mode:remove_FC converted:03.11.2016

                Veterinary medicine
                bacteremia,borrelia,spirochete,spirochetemia,thrombocytopenia
                Veterinary medicine
                bacteremia, borrelia, spirochete, spirochetemia, thrombocytopenia

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