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Abstract
Lyme disease, causative agent Borrelia burgdorferi, is a commonly reported tick-borne disease. In the United State it has been reported in forty-nine states. Seroprevalence studies using dogs have been done in some states to assess human exposure risk. This study was undertaken to determine the seroprevalence of B. burgdorferi antibodies in dogs in Georgia utilizing three different serologic tests: Whole cell ELISA, C6 peptide ELISA, and Western blot. The state was divided into four physiographic regions and serum from dogs housed in animal shelters in each region were tested with both a whole cell ELISA and a C6 peptide ELISA and, if positive on either test, tested with the Western Blot. Of the 310 serum samples tested, only two results were positive for B. burgdorferi exposure. Overall, this study demonstrates that the seroprevalence of antibodies against B. burgdorferi in dogs in Georgia is low.