Astasia and pyrexia related to Borrelia garinii infection in two dogs in Hokkaido, Japan.

Two dogs that exhibited sudden astasia, anorexia and fever higher than 40°C were suspected of having Lyme disease in July 2011. Clinical symptoms gradually improved with antibiotic treatment in both cases. Polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis revealed Borrelia garinii DNA fragments in the peripheral blood in the acute disease phase. Serological tests, including enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis, showed an increased IgG antibody titer against Borrelia pathogens in one of the dogs. These findings suggested that diagnosis of the two dogs was Lyme disease related to B. garinii infection.