Borreliosis in horses: epidemiology, experimental infection and therapeutic

Lyme borreliosis is a disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, cosmopolitan and transmitted by the bite of ticks which remain adhered to the host for more than 24 hours. In humans, it can cause articular, cardiac and neurological diseases. In horses, so far the disease had been described by means of case reports and extrapolations of its pathogenesis in humans. This study aimed to investigate the clinical signs and hematological changes of Lyme disease in horses. Furthermore, it is also assessed the feasibility of treating infected horses with sodium ceftriaxone. To this end, the experiment consisted of three main phases. The first phase consisted of an epidemiological survey of the disease in São Paulo State, specifically in cities with suspected cases of Lyme borreliosis in humans. It was collected blood samples and clinical history of 760 horses that resulted in an average of 21% seropositivity in the state. In this stage, it was concluded that there was a high relationship between seropositivity, Amblyomma sculptum tick presence, the presence of capybaras in the property, lymphopenia, abortion and retained placenta. The second phase consisted of an experimental infection of two adult horses with B. burgdorferi strain G39 / 40. The horses were evaluated for 90 days of infection and we found that the animals showed nonspecific clinical signs and hematologic changes only in the first 11 days of infection. It was noted the presence of mild hypochromic normocytic anemia, muscle pain, pale mucous membranes, lethargy and swollen lymph nodes, signs that can easily be confused with chronic piroplasmosis. During phase 3 of the experiment, the two horses experimentally infected underwent treatment with intravenous sodium ceftriaxone. Already during the first application, both developed an anaphylactoid reaction moderate to severe with colic syndrome as consequence for one horse and laminitis to the other. Both recovered and were finally treated with oxytetracycline. (AU)