How come my dog has a fair risk of getting Lyme, but I don't? Granted, he is in better shape to travel than I am, but he doesn't have any money so I doubt that he has been out of the state without my knowledge.
I thought this was worth looking at. Can't wait to show this map to my family doc.
Tracy
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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treepatrol
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How come my dog has a fair risk of getting Lyme, but I don't? Granted, he is in better shape to travel than I am, but he doesn't have any money so I doubt that he has been out of the state without my knowledge.
I thought this was worth looking at. Can't wait to show this map to my family doc.
Tracy
Very good find!!! Good comparison!!!!
Heres CDC 2004
IDEXX for animals:
ALDF :
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
Great map. Actually though, I do think that many of the dogs being tested for Lyme do travel -- dog shows require testing I think and also greyhound race tracks I am pretty sure.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Certainly dogs do travel, but rarely without their people in tow... if a dog has lyme ticks, then what argument makes any sense against people having exposure to the very same ticks? Not to mention other possible vectors like lice, mites, fleas...??? Bear in mind, too, that these maps are the *reported* cases of lyme, meaning a scant percentage of the real cases in all likelihood.
I'm fortunate (in a backwards sort of way) in that I got a series of tick bites and circular rashes in one of those "identified areas* (Humboldt County, northern California coast) that even the CDC recognises as a moderate/high risk area. Plus I had a CDC positive Western Blot -- so even the ducks have a hard time quakking much of an argument against my having Lyme.
-------------------- "Looks like freedom but it feels like death.. It's something in between, I guess"
Leonard Cohen, from the song "Closing Time" Posts: 822 | From California | Registered: Jan 2006
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trueblue
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Thanks for the maps, truthfinder.
You know... I tried reporting myself to the health department in 1993 when I was diagnosed and again when I had a CDC positive test.
They wouldn't take a report from me and wouldn't accept one from an out of state doc. I lived on the NY/NJ border.
I should have called a Vet. I wonder if I still can? I'd really like to be counted somewhere.
woof!
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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Aniek
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Is it me, or does the CDC have a dot on Plum Island?
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TerryK
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Great maps but it would be good to see a bit more data on the IDEXX map such as what period of time does the data apply to, 1 year, 2 years, all years??
Anyone know? Terry
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Areneli
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Lyme disease is clearly overdiagnozed in dogs Posts: 1538 | From Planet Earth | Registered: Jan 2005
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Boomerang
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Great maps!
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We don't even make the maps out here in Hawaii and that is why even though I lived in Humboldt County and told my MDs, the ones here had and have no idea about Lyme.
My current LLMD in CA sees 9 patients from Hawaii and I know of 2 others that see another LLMD in CA. Our state doesn't have Lyme
-------------------- Lucy Posts: 342 | From Hawaii | Registered: Nov 2005
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Truthfinder
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posted
Good comments and questions.....
Woof . Loved that one.
Thanks for putting the maps up there, Tree.
Bea, dogs do travel. But I talked to my vet, and he has tested dogs here and found Lyme in dogs that have never been out of the area. We are a small, rural community. No greyhounds or show dogs.
I talked to another vet in town and he said that while he generally does not test for Lyme or other TBDs in dogs, he does treat them for it. He says he recognizes the symptoms and treats them for a ``doxycycline deficiency'' with good results.
I haven't talked to the third vet in town.
Terry, I didn't find any more data on the IDEXX map. Frankly, what I would like to see is a CDC map that was more of a ``cumulative'' map, rather than just annual incidence maps. Because that can change a lot from year to year, especially in non-endemic states (if there is such a thing).
Lucy, I could not help but notice none of these entities put Alaska or Hawaii in there. But I think if you to view the stat tables at the CDC, they do acknowledge reported cases in both states. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_rptdLymeCasesbyState.htm
Maybe you guys in the ``we don't have Lyme here'' states should start talking to your local vets and see if they are testing for it and/or diagnosing TBDs. You might be surprised. I was. Could be some prima facie evidence there to thrust at your local ducks.
Tracy
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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trueblue
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quote:Originally posted by Truthfinder: I talked to another vet in town and he said that while he generally does not test for Lyme or other TBDs in dogs, he does treat them for it. He says he recognizes the symptoms and treats them for a ``doxycycline deficiency'' with good results.
hehehehe, clever!
I noticed that the maps didn't include Alaska and Hawaii, as well, and was wondering why not.
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Thank you Truthfinder for some great info. It does boggle the mind.
I became curious about the website with the Canine Lyme Results, and started to puruse it. It appears that they have some new type of testing for humans' best friend. Can any of this info help us humans with lyme out?
Take a look:
Background
Since 1995, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that serological testing for Lyme disease consist of a two-tiered approach--an initial screening with an enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) or an indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test,
followed by a Western blot to corroborate a positive or suspect test result.1 However, this approach has limitations.
Limits of the Traditional Approach
The traditional approach is limited because these tests measure antibodies to the whole Borrelia burgdorferi organism (called wholecell antibodies). Whole-cell antibodies elevate after exposure or vaccination, and often remain elevated after successful treatment.
Traditionally, dogs are only tested after clinical signs are evident. The lack of early clinical signs, such as erythema migrans, in infected dogs places greater importance on the laboratory method used when diagnosing canine Lyme disease.2
With recent research showing that subclinical infections of canine Lyme disease are more prevalent than once thought, the diagnostic approach to these cases should be reexamined.3
In addition, the traditional whole-cell antibody tests often yield false-positive test results due to cross-reaction with autoimmune antibodies or infection from other tick-borne diseases such as rickettsiosis, babesiosis and ehrlichiosis.4
Also, current Lyme vaccines complicate the diagnostic usefulness of these tests and, in many cases, render them uninformative. For example, IFA and whole-cell ELISA tests cannot distinguish natural exposure from vaccine.
And, although the Western blot has been considered a useful tool to help distinguish exposure from vaccination, new research suggests that interpretation can be challenging.5
Furthermore, the Western blot is techniquedependent, expensive and time-consuming. The traditional tests are also limited because they cannot be used to determine treatment protocol and cannot measure response to treatment.
Whole-cell antigens of the Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete are assumed to be rapidly sequestered by the follicular dendritic cells (FDCs), resulting in long-lived B cell memory. Therefore, dogs tested for whole-cell antibodies rarely have a significant decrease in antibody, even as successful treatment lowers the Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete numbers in the body.
The Benefits of C6 Technology
With the discovery of the C6 antigen and the dog's unique antibody response to it, IDEXX developed the SNAP� 3Dx� test as a screening tool. C6 is a synthetic peptide derived from VlsE, an outer-surface immunodominant portion of Borrelia burgdorferi.
Research into the antibody response to C6 at Tulane University and to VlsE at the University of Texas identified unique properties that are beneficial for Lyme diagnostics.
Tulane University scientists discovered that the anti-C6 antibody response (often referred to as the C6 antibody) is more sensitive than whole-cell antigen in early infection, detectable as early as three weeks postexposure. 6
Antibody to the C6 antigen is also highly specific for B. burgdorferi infection. Dogs with leptospirosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and heartworm disease did not have antibodies to C6. Nor were antibodies to C6 produced in response to immunization with currently available canine Lyme vaccines.6, 7
The benefits of C6 diagnostics are not confined to the veterinary field. Because of its sensitivity, specificity and the fact that it does not cross-react with Lyme vaccinations, C6 antibody is presently the major diagnostic test for Lyme disease in the human field.8, 9
In fact, recent research indicates that the C6 ELISA alone is comparable or superior to the traditional two-tiered testing method of IFA and Western blot, and that decreases in the titer of antibodies against C6 can indicate a successful therapeutic outcome for Lyme patients.10, 11, 12, 13, 14
These are major breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
Diagnostic Testing for Canine Lyme Disease: A New Two-Tiered Approach for Effective Management
Canine Lyme disease continues to spread across the country and there is great interest in managing this often subclinical disease. IDEXX's new diagnostic test for canine Lyme disease allows you to identify infection and use valuable, measurable information to decide on a therapeutic plan and to monitor your treatment choice.
The new Lyme Quantitative C6 Antibody Test is a reference laboratory ELISA test based on measurement of antibody to the C6 antigen, the same unique antigen used in the SNAP� 3Dx� in-house screening test. The combination of these assays provides you with the latest diagnostic tools for a new two-tiered approach to managing Lyme disease: an in-house screen with a follow-up quantitative assessment.
C6 Method
The Lyme Quantitative C6 Antibody Test measures the level of C6 antibody--the unique C6 antigen is associated with the variable region only in live spirochetes. Research has demonstrated that the C6 antibody declines rapidly and significantly after effective treatment.
Lyme Quantitative C6 Antibody Test
* Highly specific * Identifies infection * Does not cross-react with currently available Lyme vaccines * C6 antibodies wane rapidly post-treatment*
Lyme Quantitative C6 Antibody Test
* Quantitative, nonsubjective information * Does not cross-react with vaccine * Economical * Informative post-treatment*
Whole-Cell Diagnostic Methods
Whole-cell diagnostic methods (IFA, KELA, WB) measure the IgG antibodies produced to numerous antigens on the ``whole'' spirochete. The persistence of these wholecell antigens produce antibodies that are present and remain elevated even when spirochetes are reduced or eliminated.
IFA and Whole-Cell ELISA
* Nonspecific * Unable to differentiate infection from exposure to Borrelia burgdorferi * Cross-reacts with vaccine antibodies * Post-treatment titers typically remain unchanged--uninformative**
Western Blot
* Subjective and technique-dependent * May be unreliable in a vaccinated population * Expensive * Uninformative as post-treatment test** *Straubinger RK, Straubinger AF.
Status of Borrelia burgdorferi infection after antibiotic treatment and the effect of corticosteroids: an experimental study. Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2000;181:1069-1081.
**These whole-cell antigens initiate the production of immune system memory cells, so animals continue to have a titer even when spirochete numbers are reduced or eliminated. Similar research is being conducted on the canine side.
Initial research at Tulane University demonstrates not only the benefits of the higher accuracy in determining infection as compared to traditional methods, but also that measuring C6 antibody can be useful clinically in measuring response to treatment.
C6 antibody levels rise dramatically after B. burgdorferi exposure, and then drop off rapidly after treatment with antibiotics.15
This research evaluated 16 dogs experimentally infected with B. burgdorferi. The 12 treated dogs showed a dramatic decrease in C6 antibody post-treatment, and a single treated dog showed minimal arthritis in one joint post-treatment.
The four untreated dogs maintained high C6 antibody levels, and all of them experienced arthritis in numerous joints post-treatment.15,16
Similar findings were seen in field-derived samples. Most of the dogs responded with a significant drop of the C6 antibody. A small fraction were low C6 antibody-responders with inconclusive status.
These studies showed that quantitative C6 levels were able to provide a good indication of the infection status. Monitoring these canine Lyme patients following treatment revealed that a drop of 50% or more indicated successful treatment.
Diagnosing Subclinical Lyme Disease Is Important
Recent research at Cornell University demonstrated the progression of Lyme disease in dogs, and highlighted several issues regarding subclinical infections. Of 16 dogs infected with Lyme disease, 75% had a three-to-six-day episode of varying degrees of lameness, with the first episode occurring at a median of 71 days post-infection.
In all cases, clinical signs resolved without treatment, yet all dogs remained infected as confirmed by culture and PCR.16
This study indicates that subclinical infections are more common than previously thought and may outnumber clinical infections.
Owners often see episodes of canine lameness similar to those seen in these experimentally infected dogs. However, the lameness may resolve and the owner remains unaware that the dog's lameness was an acute presentation of Lyme disease--the dog is subclinically infected.
Research shows that these subclinically infected dogs will display arthritic histopathological changes in the joints. The Cornell research, mentioned previously, also demonstrated the profound response that antibiotic therapy has in treating Lyme disease.
At postmortem, none of the 12 treated dogs had tissue samples that were culture-positive, whereas all four untreated dogs yielded multiple tissue samples that were positive for B. burgdorferi by culture. Additionally, when these dogs were immunesuppressed with prednisone, clinical signs returned only in untreated dogs, depicting a viable, yet subclinical infection.16
This clinical response not only showed the benefit of the antibiotic therapy, but also demonstrated the role the immune system plays in maintaining the subclinical state.
The recognition of the existence of subclinical Lyme disease provides further support for this new two-tiered approach.
Treatment for 4 weeks
* Antibody response lags * C6 detectable as early as three weeks
Immune response elevated
* Dogs become culture-negative * C6 antibody levels fall dramatically
ANTIBODY LEVELS C6 antibody levels decline in response to treatment
Antibody detectable at 3 weeks Subclinically infected dogs detected Lyme positive on SNAP� 3Dx�
Duration of infection unknown
Inconclusive Status
Antibody levels of field-derived subclinical canines with unknown duration of infection Antibody levels of experimentally infected canines
Early Infection Subclinical Infection Untreated Group Treated Group Initial Infection TIME Mimics Treated Research Group C6 Response to Treatment References 1. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Lyme Disease: Diagnosis. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/diagnosis.htm. Accessed: April 15, 2004. 2. Liang FT, Jacobson RH, Straubinger RK, Grooters A, Philipp MT. Characterization of a Borrelia burgdorferi VlsE invariable region useful in canine Lyme disease serodiagnosis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. J Clin Microbiol. 2000;38(11)4160-66. 3. Ford RB. Emerging vector-borne diseases: the diagnostic challenge. Vet Forum 2003;20(1):56. 4. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Assays for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi: limitations, use and interpretation for supporting a clinical diagnosis of Lyme disease. FDA Public Health Advisory. July 7, 1997. 5. Lorentzen L, O'Connor TP, Wheeler T, Hanscom JL, Shields P. Reaction of sera from known negative-vaccinated dogs on an in-clinic Borrelia burgdorferi antibody ELISA (SNAP 3Dx) and Lyme Western blot assay. Presented at: 21st Annual American College of Veterinary Medicine Forum; June 4-8, 2003; Charlotte, NC. 6. Liang FT, Steere AC, Marques AR, Johnson BJB, Miller JN, Philipp MT. Sensitive and specific serodiagnosis of Lyme disease by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with peptide based on an immunodominant conserved region of Borrelia burgdorferi VlsE. J Clin Microbiol. 1999;37(12):3990-3996. 7. O'Connor TP, Esty KJ, Hanscom JL, Shields P, Philipp MT. Dogs vaccinated with common Lyme disease vaccines do not respond to IR6, the conserved immunodominant region of the VlsE surface protein of Borrelia burgdorferi. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology. May 2004. 8. Marques AR, Martin DS, Philipp MT. Evaluation of the C6 peptide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for individuals vaccinated with the recombinant OspA vaccine. J Clin Microbiol. 2002;40(7):2591-93. 9. National Institute of Health. NIH News Advisory, June 18, 2001. Available at: http:/www.niaid.nih.gov. Accessed: April 15, 2004. 10. Bacon RM, Biggerstaff BJ, Schriefer ME, Gilmore RD Jr, Philipp MT, Steere AC, Wormser GP, Marques AR, Johnson BJ. Serodiagnosis of Lyme disease by kinetic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using recombinant VlsE1 or peptide antigens of Borrelia burgdorferi compared to 2-tiered testing using whole-cell lysates. J Infect Dis. 2003:187(8):1187-99. 11. Immunetics Press Release, April 3, 2002. Available at: htttp:/www.immunetics.com/company/pressreleses/C6-NIH1-Lyme.htm. Accessed: April 15, 2004. 12. Levin AE, Condon P, Kovalenko V. Lyme Borreliosis Serodiagnosis by ELISA Based on the C6 Peptide of VlsE. Immunetics, Inc. 13. Philipp MT, Marques AR, Fawcett PT, Dally LG, Martin DS. C6 test as an indicator of therapy outcome for patients with localized or disseminated Lyme borreliosis. J Clin Microbiol. 2003;41(11):4955-4960. 14. National Institute of Health. Lyme Disease Research Efforts of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. December 2003. Available at: http:/www.niaid. nih.gov/research/lyme.htm. Accessed: April 15, 2004. 15. Philipp MT, Bowers LC, Fawcett PT, Jacobs MB, Liang FT, Marques AR, Mitchell PD, Purcell JE, Ratterree MS, Straubinger RK. Antibody response to IR6, a conserved immunodominant region of the VlsE lipoprotein, wanes rapidly after antibiotic treatment of Borrelia burgdorferi infection in experimental animals and humans. J Infectious Dis. 2001;184(7):870-878. 16. Straubinger RK, Straubinger AF, Summers BA, Jacobson RH. Status of Borrelia burgdorferi infection after antibiotic treatment and the effects of corticosteroids: an experimental study. J Infectious Dis. 2000;181:1069-1081. � 2004 IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. * 09-64895-00 (4)
A New Two-Tiered Approach to Canine Lyme Testing
With the advent of the SNAP� 3Dx� and the Lyme Quantitative C6 Antibody Test, we recommend screening dogs and then further characterizing positive dogs by quantifying their C6 antibody levels.
The quantitative C6 assay provides a twotiered approach to Lyme disease testing.
Veterinarians can screen all dogs for Lyme accurately and economically with the inhouse SNAP� 3Dx� and then follow up positive results with the Lyme Quantitative C6 Antibody Test to accurately measure a dog's antibody level to C6.
For a dog with clinical signs of Lyme disease, the quantitative C6 level can provide you with a pretreatment level of C6 and help gauge the dog's response to treatment with a follow-up level.
For a subclinical dog, the quantitative C6 level can provide you with information on whether treatment is warranted, and, if so, a follow-up test can help measure treatment effectiveness.Test results are provided along with interpretive criteria and recommendations for treatment.
Posts: 873 | From WA | Registered: Dec 2005
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Can you provide the link for the map you posted? Thanks.
Bea Seibert
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Truthfinder
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8512
posted
Yes, Joe - where did you find this map? It helps round out the picture, for sure.
Lymetoo, good point about the "snow birds".
Here in Colorado, we also have the reverse happening - people from all over the country coming here to their condos and "winter homes" to spend much of the winter on the ski slopes.
It still doesn't explain the "homebody" dogs who get Lyme. And only your local vet will be able to tell you that.
Tracy
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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Great thread, Thanks truthfinder and everyone else. Very interesting info.
-------------------- Virgil and Mary Posts: 58 | From Wisconsin | Registered: Jul 2006
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Truthfinder
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posted
I was able to save the map that Joe put up by right-clicking on the map with my mouse, then "saving" the map as a *.gif file to a folder on my computer.
Tracy
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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Good comparison!!!!
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