SEROSURVEY OF SHELTER DOGS IN VIRGINIA FOR ANTIBODIES TO BORRELIA-BURGDORFERI

Increased interest and concern about Lyme disease in the last several years, along with the close proximity of Maryland's endemic foci, has raised questions about the incidence of Lyme disease in Virginia. A canine seroprevalence survey was undertaken in an attempt to estimate the prevalence of borreliosis in Virginia. An ELISA test was used to detect antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi in sera from 221 shelter dogs from the three different physiographic regions in Virginia. From those animals sampled, only one dog was seropositive. This finding was consistent with other studies which have found limited evidence of Lyme disease in Virginia.