Seropositivity of Main Vector-Borne Pathogens in Dogs Across Europe

Abstract Introduction: Canine Vector-borne disease (CVBD) has been an area of increasing interest in Europe over the last few decades, and there have been changes in the prevalence and distribution of many of these diseases. Monitoring CVBD infections in Europe is often done by individual countries, but aggregated data for the European countries are helpful to understand the distribution of CVBDs. Methods: We used an extensive retrospective database of results from point-of-care rapid enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests on dogs across Europe to identify distribution and seropositivity in animals tested for selected CVBDs (Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, Leishmania spp., and Dirofilaria immitis) from 2016 through 2020. Geographic distribution of positive tests and relative percent positive values were mapped by the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics classification for regions with sufficient test results for reporting.Results: A total of 404,617 samples corresponding with 1,134,648 canine results were available from dogs tested in 35 countries over the 5-year study period. Over this period the number of test results per year increased whereas test positivity decreased. Leishmania spp. had the largest increase in total test results from 25,000 results in 2016 to over 60,000 results in 2020. Test positivity for Leishmania spp. fell from 13.9% in 2016 to 9.4% in 2020. Test positivity fell for Anaplasma spp. (7.3% to 5.3%), Ehrlichia spp. (4.3% to 3.4%), and Borrelia burgdorferi (3.3% to 2.4%). D. immitis test positivity trended down with a high of 2.7% in 2016 and low of 1.8% in 2018. Leishmania spp. test positivity was highest in endemic areas and in several non-endemic countries with low numbers of test results. Co-positivity rates were significantly higher than expected for all pathogen test positive pairs except for Ehrlichia spp. with Borrelia burgdorferi and D. immitis with Borrelia burgdorferi.Conclusions: This study represents the largest data set on CVBD seropositivity in Europe to date. The increase in the number of test results and decreasing test positivity over the study period may reflect changes in testing behavior and increased screening of healthy animals. The Europe-wide mapping of CVBD provides expected test-positivity that can help inform veterinarians’ decisions on screening and improve prevention and identification of these important, sometimes zoonotic, diseases.

Download Full-text

Canine infection with Dirofilaria immitis, Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma spp., and Ehrlichia spp. in the United States, 2013–2019

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-020-04514-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Susan Little ◽

Jennifer Braff ◽

Joshua Place ◽

Jesse Buch ◽

Bhagya Galkissa Dewage ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽

Geographic Distribution ◽

Dirofilaria Immitis ◽

The United States ◽

Positive Test ◽

Test Results ◽

Tick Borne Disease ◽

Vector Borne ◽

Geographic Expansion ◽

Endemic Areas

Abstract Background Dogs in the US are commonly infected with vector-borne pathogens, including heartworm and tick-borne disease agents. The geographic distribution of both arthropod vectors and the pathogens they transmit continues to expand. Methods To describe the current geographic distribution and prevalence of antigen of Dirofilaria immitis and antibody to Borrelia burgdorferi, Ehrlichia spp., and Anaplasma spp. in dogs, we summarized over 144 million test results from 2013 to 2019, inclusive, by county, state, and region. Canine seroprevalence by state was compared to population-adjusted human reports of tick-borne diseases. Results Results varied regionally, with D. immitis antigen and Ehrlichia spp. antibodies more frequently detected in the Southeast (2.6% and 5.2%, respectively) and antibody to B. burgdorferi and Anaplasma spp. most common in the Northeast (12.1% and 7.3%, respectively). Overall, percent positive test results to D. immitis decreased in the Southeast by 33.3% when compared to earlier summaries using the same strategy (from 3.9 to 2.6%). Geographic expansion of areas where dogs commonly test positive for Ehrlichia spp. was evident, likely because of a change in the test made in 2012 to allow detection of antibodies to E. ewingii concomitant with expansion of vector tick populations. Percent positive test results to Ehrlichia spp. increased in every region; this shift was particularly pronounced in the Southeast, where percent positive test results increased fourfold (from 1.3 to 5.2%). Continued geographic expansion of B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum was apparent in the Northeast, Midwest, and Upper South, although canine seroprevalence of antibody to B. burgdorferi was much lower than prior surveys in many Lyme-endemic areas. Annual reports of human cases of Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis were associated with percent positive canine results by state for the three tick-borne disease agents (R2 = 0.812, 0.521, and 0.546, respectively). Within endemic areas, percent positive test results for all three tick-borne agents demonstrated evidence of geographic expansion. Conclusions Large scale analysis of results from screening dogs in practice for evidence of vector-borne infections, including those with zoonotic importance, continues to be a valuable strategy for understanding geographic trends in infection risk over time.

Download Full-text

Turntable Paper-Based Device to Detect Escherichia coli

Micromachines ◽

10.3390/mi12020194 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 194

Author(s):

Yung-Chih Wang ◽

Yao-Hung Tsai ◽

Ching-Fen Shen ◽

Ming-Yao He ◽

Yi-Chen Fu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Infectious Diseases ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Multiple Integral ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Considerable Time ◽

E Coli ◽

Colony Forming Unit ◽

Experimental Implementation ◽

Colony Forming Units

Escherichia coli has been known to cause a variety of infectious diseases. The conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a well-known method widely used to diagnose a variety of infectious diseases. This method is expensive and requires considerable time and effort to conduct and complete multiple integral steps. We previously proposed the use of paper-based ELISA to rapidly detect the presence of E. coli. This approach has demonstrated utility for point-of-care (POC) urinary tract infection diagnoses. Paper-based ELISA, while advantageous, still requires the execution of several procedural steps. Here, we discuss the design and experimental implementation of a turntable paper-based device to simplify the paper-based ELISA protocols for the detection of E. coli. In this process, antibodies or reagents are preloaded onto zones of a paper-based device and allowed to dry before use. We successfully used this device to detect E. coli with a detection limit of 105 colony-forming units (colony-forming unit [CFU])/mL.

Download Full-text

Rapid point-of-care (POC) testing for Hepatitis C antibodies in a very high prevalence setting: persons injecting drugs in Tallinn, Estonia

Harm Reduction Journal ◽

10.1186/s12954-021-00485-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Anneli Uusküla ◽

Ave Talu ◽

Jürgen Rannap ◽

David M. Barnes ◽

Don Des Jarlais

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis C ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Antibody Test ◽

Hcv Rna ◽

Test Results ◽

Blood Draw ◽

Persons Who Inject Drugs ◽

Oral Swab ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Hcv Antibody

Abstract Background Between December 2018 and January of 2019, we evaluated the accuracy of the point-of-care Hepatitis C (HCV) antibody test (POC; OraQuick HCV) used at a community-based needle and syringe exchange program serving persons who inject drugs in Tallinn, Estonia. Methods We compared the results of screening for HCV antibodies by OraQuick (oral swab) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA; blood draw) and assessed test results implications in a high prevalence setting. Findings Of the 100 participants, 88 (88%) had reactive POC test results, and 93 were HCV antibody positive on EIA testing. Sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value (NPV) for the POC assay with EIA as the relevant reference test were as follows: 94.6% (95% CI 90.0–99.2%), 100% and 58.3% (95% CI 30.4–86.2%). Of the 12 testing, HCV-negative with the POC only 7 (58.3%) were true negatives. Conclusions Oral swab rapid testing HCV screening in this nonclinical setting was sensitive and specific but had unacceptably low NPV. In high prevalence settings, POC tests with high sensitivity and that directly measure HCV RNA may be warranted.

Download Full-text

Evaluating Presence/Absence of Target Microbes in Microbiological Tests

Journal of AOAC International ◽

10.1093/jaoac/83.6.1429 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 83 (6) ◽

pp. 1429-1434

Author(s):

Robert J Blodgett ◽

Anthony D Hitchins

Keyword(s):

Performance Studies ◽

Collaborative Study ◽

False Negative ◽

The Other ◽

Test Results ◽

Logistic Curve ◽

Microbiological Method ◽

Test Portion ◽

Method Performance ◽

Data Set

Abstract A typical qualitative microbiological method performance (collaborative) study gathers a data set of responses about a test for the presence or absence of a target microbe. We developed 2 models that estimate false-positive and false-negative rates. One model assumes a constant probability that the tests will indicate the target microbe is present for any positive concentration in the test portion. The other model assumes that this probability follows a logistic curve. Test results from several method performance studies illustrate these estimates.

Download Full-text

Rapid point-of-care anti-infliximab antibodies detection in clinical practice: comparison with ELISA and potential for improving therapeutic drug monitoring in IBD patients

Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology ◽

10.1177/1756284821999902 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 175628482199990

Author(s):

Sonia Facchin ◽

Andrea Buda ◽

Romilda Cardin ◽

Nada Agbariah ◽

Fabiana Zingone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring ◽

Drug Monitoring ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Drug Clearance ◽

Elisa Test ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Therapeutic Drug ◽

Drug Concentrations ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

Anti-drug antibodies can interfere with the activity of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents by increasing drug clearance via direct neutralization. The presence of anti-drug antibodies is clinically relevant when trough drug concentrations are undetectable or sub-therapeutic. However, traditional immunoassay is not easily and rapidly accessible, making the translation of the results into treatment adjustment difficult. The availability of a point-of-care (POC) test for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) might represent an important step forward for improving the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in clinical practice. In this pilot study, we compared the results obtained with POC tests with those obtained by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in a group of IBD patients treated with Infliximab (IFX). We showed that POC test can reliably detect presence of antibody-to-IFX with 100% of specificity and 76% sensitivity, in strong agreement with the ELISA test ( k-coefficient = 0.84).

Download Full-text

Fecal viral DNA shedding following clinical panleukopenia virus infection in shelter kittens: a prospective, observational study

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery ◽

10.1177/1098612x211023056 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1098612X2110230

Author(s):

Kyrsten J Janke ◽

Linda S Jacobson ◽

Jolene A Giacinti ◽

J Scott Weese

Keyword(s):

Small Sample Size ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Small Sample ◽

Enteric Pathogens ◽

Test Results ◽

Viral Dna ◽

Virus Shedding ◽

Feline Panleukopenia Virus ◽

Viral Shedding ◽

Point Of Care Test

Objectives The aims of this study were to determine the magnitude and duration of fecal viral DNA shedding after diagnosis of feline panleukopenia (FP) in a group of shelter cats using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR); to assess the utility of a negative point-of-care test or the resolution of diarrhea and systemic signs as proxy measures for qPCR positivity; and to investigate patterns of additional enteric pathogens in relation to feline panleukopenia viral shedding duration. Methods Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) infection in clinically affected shelter cats was confirmed by a commercial qPCR test. Observations were made on days 0, 3, 7, 14 and 21 post-diagnosis. Fecal flotation, FPV qPCR and the canine parvovirus IDEXX SNAP Parvo ELISA (SNAP) test were performed on fecal samples. Results Forty cats and kittens with confirmed panleukopenia were initially enrolled. Sixteen kittens were sampled until day 14, and 12 were followed to day 21. Median DNA viral copy numbers fell below the diagnostic cut-off by day 7, with 13/16, 6/16, 1/16 and 0/12 testing PCR-positive on days 3, 7, 14 and 21, respectively. The SNAP test was positive in 12/16 kittens on day 0 and only 3/16 on day 3. SNAP test results, diarrhea and systemic signs were inconsistent in relation to qPCR positivity post-diagnosis. Additional enteric pathogens were common. The presence of additional pathogen types was suggestive of a longer PCR shedding duration, but this was not tested statistically owing to the small sample size. Conclusions and relevance These findings suggest that cats should be isolated for at least 14 days after a diagnosis of FP, but that release from isolation after this point is reasonable, in association with a multifaceted infection control strategy. The study findings did not support using SNAP test results, diarrhea or systemic signs as proxy measures for virus shedding.

Download Full-text

Comparative Analysis of the Euroimmun CXCL13 Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and the ReaScan Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Diagnosis of Lyme Neuroborreliosis

Journal of Clinical Microbiology ◽

10.1128/jcm.00207-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 58 (9) ◽

Author(s):

Katharina Ziegler ◽

Anca Rath ◽

Christoph Schoerner ◽

Renate Meyer ◽

Thomas Bertsch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Roc Curve ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Lateral Flow ◽

Lyme Neuroborreliosis ◽

Diagnostic Tools ◽

Lateral Flow Immunoassay ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

European Federation ◽

Point Of Care Test

ABSTRACT Diagnosis of Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) is challenging, as long as Borrelia-specific intrathecal antibodies are not yet detectable. The chemokine CXCL13 is elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of LNB patients. Here, we compared the performances of the Euroimmun CXCL13 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CXCL13 ELISA) and the ReaScan CXCL13 lateral flow immunoassay (CXCL13 LFA), a rapid point-of-care test, to support the diagnosis of LNB. In a dual-center case-control study, CSF samples from 90 patients (34 with definite LNB, 10 with possible LNB, and 46 with other central nervous system [CNS] diseases [non-LNB group]) were analyzed with the CXCL13 ELISA and the CXCL13 LFA. Classification of patients followed the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) guidelines on LNB. The CXCL13 ELISA detected elevated CXCL13 levels in all patients with definite LNB (median, 1,409 pg/ml) compared to the non-LNB controls (median, 20.7 pg/ml; P < 0.0001), with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 84.8% (cutoff value, 78.6 pg/ml; area under the receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve, 0.93). Similarly, the CXCL13 LFA yielded elevated CXCL13 levels in 31 patients with definite LNB (median arbitrary value, 223.5) compared to the non-LNB control patients (median arbitrary value, 0; P < 0.0001) and had a sensitivity and specificity of 91.2% and 93.5%, respectively (cutoff arbitrary value, 22.5; area under the ROC curve, 0.94). The correlation between the CXCL13 levels obtained by ELISA and LFA was strong (Spearman correlation coefficient r = 0.89; P < 0.0001). The CXCL13 ELISA and the CXCL13 LFA are comparable diagnostic tools for the detection of CXCL13 in the CSF of patients with definite LNB. The advantage of the CXCL13 LFA is the shorter time to result.

Download Full-text

Requiem for the STAT Test: Automation and Point of Care Testing

Laboratory Medicine ◽

10.1093/labmed/lmz080 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Gurmukh Singh ◽

Natasha M Savage ◽

Brandy Gunsolus ◽

Kellie A Foss

Keyword(s):

Point Of Care ◽

Turnaround Time ◽

Test Automation ◽

Test Results ◽

Point Of Care Testing ◽

Tube System ◽

Front End ◽

Laboratory Test Results ◽

Batch Testing ◽

Pneumatic Tube System

Abstract Objective Quick turnaround of laboratory test results is needed for medical and administrative reasons. Historically, laboratory tests have been requested as routine or STAT. With a few exceptions, a total turnaround time of 90 minutes has been the usually acceptable turnaround time for STAT tests. Methods We implemented front-end automation and autoverification and eliminated batch testing for routine tests. We instituted on-site intraoperative testing for selected analytes and employed point of care (POC) testing judiciously. The pneumatic tube system for specimen transport was expanded. Results The in-laboratory turnaround time was reduced to 45 minutes for more than 90% of tests that could reasonably be ordered STAT. With rare exceptions, the laboratory no longer differentiates between routine and STAT testing. Having a single queue for all tests has improved the efficiency of the laboratory. Conclusion It has been recognized in manufacturing that batch processing and having multiple queues for products are inefficient. The same principles were applied to laboratory testing, which resulted in improvement in operational efficiency and elimination of STAT tests. We propose that the target for in-laboratory turnaround time for STAT tests, if not all tests, be 45 minutes or less for more than 90% of specimens.

Download Full-text

Religion and aggregate support for redistribution

Acta Sociologica ◽

10.1177/0001699318768380 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 251-269 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mads Meier Jæger

Keyword(s):

Church Attendance ◽

Religious Denomination ◽

Data Set ◽

Social Survey ◽

Aggregated Data ◽

International Social Survey Programme ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Positive Effect ◽

High Share ◽

International Social

Aggregated data on regions within countries have been used to analyze the effect of religion and religiosity on aggregate support for redistribution. The data are from the International Social Survey Programme and a panel data set was constructed at the level of regions that were observed several times over the period 1985–2010. Empirical analyses show that a higher share of Catholics within a region has a positive effect on aggregate support for redistribution; a higher share of Protestants has a negative effect; religiosity (measured by church attendance) has no effect; and the effect of a religious denomination is non-linear and depends on whether or not it has a weak or a strong presence in a region. It was also found that Scandinavia is unusual in combining a high share of Protestants with high aggregate support for redistribution.

Download Full-text