Etymologia: Mycobacterium chelonae

Selective testing of dogs with exposure histories may yield misleading results with respect to local endemicity. Our fi ndings suggest that canine seroprevalence >5% can be a sensitive but nonspecifi c marker of increased risk for human Lyme disease. Because dogs do not transmit infection directly to humans (or humans to dogs), this association refl ects similar susceptibilities to tick-borne infection. In some circumstances, high canine seroprevalence appears to anticipate increasing rates of human infection at the county level. Conversely, canine seroprevalence <1% is associated with little to no local risk for human infection. Canine seroprevalence is a useful adjunct to human surveillance for Lyme disease.