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==Diagnosis==
==Diagnosis==
Lyme disease is '''very rare''' and care should be taken not to perform specific tests unnecessarily. A positive result on serological or PCR tests also does not necessarily support a diagnosis of Lyme disease as most infections are asymptomatic. A period of '''2-5 months usually elapses before clinical signs are observed''' in infected animals and it is therefore unlikely that animals recently infested with ticks will have Lyme disease.
===Clinical Signs===
===Clinical Signs===
The exact clinical signs shown depend on the species of ''Borrelia'' with which the animal is infected and on the area of the World in which infection occurs. Clinical signs are often vague, intermittent and variable between individual, reasons why the disease was not identified until late in the twentieth Century. The exact clinical manifestation also depends on the site of localisation of the organisms. In the UK, infection with ''Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato'' may show the following signs:
The exact clinical signs shown depend on the species of ''Borrelia'' with which the animal is infected and on the area of the World in which infection occurs. Clinical signs are often vague, intermittent and variable between individuals, reasons why the disease was not identified until late in the twentieth Century. The exact clinical manifestation also depends on the site of localisation of the organisms. In the UK, animals infected with ''Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato'' may show the following signs:
*Dogs
*Dogs
**Fever and lethargy
**A '''local cutaneous reaction''' may occur at the site of the tick bite but this usually resolves within a week. This is not the equivalent of the erythema migrans described in infected humans.
**Infection of the joints may result in '''arthritis'''
**Transient or intermittent '''pyrexia''' and '''lethargy'''.
**Generalised '''lymphadenopathy'''.
**Infection of the joints may result in non-erosive '''arthritis''', causing intermittent bouts of shifting lameness.
**Disease in the heart may cause '''myocarditis''' with atrio-ventricular block and dysrhythmias
**Disease in the heart may cause '''myocarditis''' with atrio-ventricular block and dysrhythmias
**Infection of the kidneys may result in '''interstitial nephritis'''
**Infection of the kidneys may result in '''glomerulonephritis''' and [[Kidney Renal Failure - Pathology|renal failure]]. This may occur chronically but cases of acute renal failure have been described.
**Presence of organisms in the brain or spinal cord may cause '''neurological signs'''
**Presence of organisms in the brain or spinal cord may cause '''neurological signs''' due to meningitis or encephalitis.
*Horses may suffer similar clinical signs but also shifting '''lameness''', '''uveitis''', '''nephritis''', '''hepatitis''' and '''encephalitis'''
*Horses may suffer similar clinical signs of shifting '''lameness''', '''uveitis''', '''nephritis''', '''hepatitis''' and '''encephalitis'''.
*Cattle and sheep may suffer from '''shifting lameness'''
*Cattle and sheep may suffer from '''shifting lameness'''.
===Laboratory Tests===
===Laboratory Tests===
===Other Tests===
===Other Tests===
*Laboratory confirmation difficult due to low numbers of organisms and fastidious growth requirements
*History of exposure to ticks in an endemic region and clinical signs
*Rising antibody titre to ''Borrelia burgdorferi'' detected by ELISA
*Immunofluorescence
*Culture in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly medium for 6 weeks under microaerophilic conditions
*PCR
===Diagnostic Imaging===
===Diagnostic Imaging===
==Prognosis==
==Prognosis==
==References==
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:To_Do_-_James]]
[[Category:To_Do_-_James]]
[[Category:Dog]][[Category:Sheep]][[Category:Cattle]][[Category:Horse]][[Category:Zoonoses]]
[[Category:Dog]][[Category:Sheep]][[Category:Cattle]][[Category:Horse]][[Category:Zoonoses]]