Evaluation of Anaplasma spp. seroprevalence in dogs and association with incidence of human anaplasmosis.

Point-of-care (POC) ELISA tests are routinely used in US veterinary practices to screen canine patients for antibodies to tick-transmitted pathogens. Results are also used to monitor spatial and temporal trends in canine seroprevalence, and these data can build awareness of the risk to humans of tick-transmitted diseases such as Lyme disease and anaplasmosis. This study utilized a second-generation test that has incorporated additional Anaplasma-specific peptides into a commercial POC ELISA test to allow detection of Anaplasma spp.

Evaluation of a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for feline leukemia virus p27 antigen and comparison to proviral DNA loads by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is an oncogenic retrovirus of cats. While higher viral RNA and proviral DNA loads have been correlated with progressive infections and disease, a similar correlation has been suggested for p27 antigen concentrations. This analytical study compared the results of a quantitative ELISA for p27 antigen with quantitative real-time PCR results for FeLV proviral DNA in patient samples.

Biologic variability of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in adult healthy cats.

Objectives The biologic variability of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and its impact on diagnostic utility is unknown in healthy cats and those with cardiac disease. The purpose of this study was to determine the biologic variation of NT-proBNP within-day and week-to-week in healthy adult cats. Methods Adult cats were prospectively evaluated by complete blood count (CBC), biochemistry, total thyroxine, echocardiography, electrocardiography and blood pressure, to exclude underlying systemic or cardiac disease.

Analytical validation of an immunoassay for the quantification of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in feline blood.

The measurement of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), a biomarker for heart stress detectable in blood, has been shown to have clinical utility in cats with heart disease. A second-generation feline enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Cardiopet® proBNP, IDEXX Laboratories Inc., Westbrook, Maine) was developed to measure NT-proBNP in routine feline plasma or serum samples with improved analyte stability.

Performance validation and method comparison of an in-clinic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of canine pancreatic lipase.

Diagnosis of pancreatitis is often difficult in dogs that present with acute vomiting, anorexia, and abdominal pain, as these clinical signs may occur with a variety of other illnesses. While quantitative reference laboratory methods specific for canine pancreatic lipase are available to aid in diagnosis, results are generally not available until the next day. The objective of the current study was to validate a semiquantitative in-clinic rapid test for the measurement of canine pancreas-specific lipase (cPL) and to compare its performance to the reference lab method.

Quantitative measurement of C6 antibody following antibiotic treatment of Borrelia burgdorferi antibody-positive nonclinical dogs.

The detection of antibody to the Borrelia burgdorferi C6 peptide by use of enzyme-linked immunoassays is a widely accepted method for the diagnosis of Lyme disease spirochete infection in dogs and in humans. Antibody to the C6 peptide is highly specific for B. burgdorferi and declines following treatment of dogs and humans exposed to B.

Comparison of an indirect immunofluorescence assay, western blot analysis, and a commercially available ELISA for detection of Ehrlichia canis antibodies in canine sera.

Objective: To examine the correlation between results for an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) that uses Ehrlichia canis antigen as a substrate (ie, E canis-IFA), 2 western blot (WB) analyses, and a commercially available ELISA in the detection of E canis antibody in dog sera.

Sample Population: 54 canine serum samples that were reactive on E canis-IFA and 16 canine serum samples that were E canis-IFA nonreactive.

Procedure: Serum samples were evaluated by use of 2 WB analyses and a commercially available ELISA.

Dogs vaccinated with common Lyme disease vaccines do not respond to IR6, the conserved immunodominant region of the VlsE surface protein of Borrelia burgdorferi.

A 25-amino-acid synthetic peptide (C(6) peptide) derived from an immunodominant conserved region (designated IR(6)) of the VlsE protein of Borrelia burgdorferi has been identified and used to construct immunoenzyme-based diagnostic procedures. These procedures have excellent sensitivity and specificity. Previous reports have demonstrated the usefulness of the C(6) peptide as an antigen for the serodiagnosis of human and canine Lyme disease.

Evaluation of a canine C6 ELISA Lyme disease test for the determination of the infection status of cats naturally exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi.

The efficacy of a commercially available in-office kit (SNAP 3Dx, IDEXX Laboratories) for detection of antibodies directed against an invariable region (IR6) of the B. burgdorferi surface protein VlsE (Vmp-like sequence, Expressed), a surface antigen of the spirochete recognized during active infection has been evaluated in dogs. The present study was conducted to determine whether this in-office test could be useful for detection of antibodies to B.

Utility of an in-office C6 ELISA test kit for determination of infection status of dogs naturally exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi.

Serologic evaluation for the diagnosis of Lyme disease has been confounded by several factors, including a high prevalence of clinically normal dogs testing seropositive, persistence of antibodies, and the introduction of vaccines that will induce antibodies detectable by immunofluorescent antibody assay, whole-cell ELISA, and Western blot assay. The utility of a commercially available in-office test kit (SNAP 3Dx, IDEXX Laboratories) for the simultaneous detection of Borrelia burgdorferi and Ehrlichia canis antibodies and Dirofilaria immitis antigen was evaluated for its ability to detect exposure to B. burgdorferi in both vaccinated and unvaccinated dogs from a highly Lyme-endemic area of Connecticut.