EXPERIMENTAL-INFECTION OF DOGS WITH BORRELIA-BURGDORFERI

Four beagle dogs were inoculated subcutaneously with the BITs1 Italian strain of Borrelia burgdorferi. Only one dog became infected and B bu rgdorferi was isolated from its blood and urine three and four weeks a fter infection. B burgdorferi antibodies were detected by immunofluore scence from four to 11 weeks after infection. An uninoculated dog kept in the same run as the infected dog, developed a positive serological response, but none of the five dogs showed clinical signs.