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.

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.