Infection Rates in Dogs Vaccinated and Not Vaccinated With an OspA Borrelia burgdorferi Vaccine in a Lyme Disease-Endemic Area of Connecticut

A commercially available recombinant OspA vaccine (Recombitek rLyme, Merial Ltd.) was used to immunize dogs against natural infection by Borrelia burgdorferi in Connecticut, an area highly endemic for Lyme disease. A C6 ELISA kit was used to determine infection rates in both vaccinated dogs as well as an unvaccinated control group. Study dogs were patients at a small animal practice in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Vaccinated dogs were immunized exclusively with the recombinant OspA B burgdorferi vaccine; controls were not vaccinated against B burgdorferi infection. All dogs in the vaccinated group were given 2 doses of the vaccine before 6 months of age and were given boosters each year according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Multivariate analysis was performed for both study Intern J Appl Res Vet Med • Vol. 3, No. 1, 2005 Durham Veterinary Hospital