GENETIC AND IMMUNOLOGICAL EVIDENCES OF BORRELIA BURGDORFERI IN DOG IN THAILAND.

Lyme disease is a tick-borne zoonotic disease caused by spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted from animals to humans by the bite of infected ticks of the genus Ixodes. Although Lyme disease has been reported in China and Japan, the disease has never been reported in Thailand. Blood samples and ticks were collected from 402 dogs from 7 and 3 animal clinics in Chiang Mai and Phuket Provinces, Thailand, respectively. Blood samples were tested for antibodies against B. burgdorferi, Anaplasma spp, Ehrlichia spp and Dirofilaria immitis using a commercial kit, and positive blood samples were subjected to nested PCR assay for B. burgdorferi fla, ospA and ospC, amplicons of which also were sequenced. Only one dog (from Chiang Mai) was positive for B. burgdorferi, with 97% to 100% genetic identity, depending on the sequences used for comparison, with strains from United State of America. All 376 ticks collected were Rhipicephalus sanguineus, but no tick was found on the infected dog. Further investigations of the infection source and vector are needed to understand potential risks of Lyme disease to dogs and humans in Thailand.

Cross-sectional study of brucellosis and Q fever in Thailand among livestock in two districts at the Thai-Cambodian border, Sa Kaeo province.

Brucellosis and Q fever impart high morbidity in humans and economic losses among livestock worldwide. However their prevalence is still not fully known in Thailand. We conducted a sero-survey of brucellosis and Q fever in beef, dairy cattle, goat, and sheep herds from Thai communities at the border with Cambodia, a cross-border trading center. Serum samples were tested for brucellosis and Q fever by antibody-based tests at the National Institute of Animal Health, Thailand. We surveyed a total of 520 individuals from 143 herds. Brucellosis herd-level seroprevalence for beef cattle and small ruminants (goats and sheep) was 2.6% (3/117) and 13.3% (2/15) respectively. Q fever herd-level seroprevalence for beef cattle, dairy cattle, and small ruminants was 4.3% (5/117), 27.3% (3/11) and 33.3% (5/15) respectively. This study identified a significant burden of brucellosis and Q fever among small ruminants and dairy cattle at the Thai-Cambodian border.

Brucellosis: the first case of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital and review of the literature.

Brucellosis remains a major zoonotic disease worldwide. It has never been reported at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH). The authors describe the first case of brucellosis in KCMH, and also review all previous reports in Thailand. The presented case was a 52-year-old Thai man, living in Phetchabun Province, who was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis two years prior to admission. He presented with prolonged fever, dry cough, weight loss of eight kg over three months, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia. Blood and bone marrow cultures grew Brucella melitensis at 72 hours of incubation. A slide agglutination (Rose Bengal) test was also positive for Brucella antibody. He had been exposed to contaminated placenta of his goats that had spontaneous abortion in the past few months before his illness. The patient was successfully treated with gentamicin, doxycycline, and rifampicin. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion when evaluating patients presenting with prolonged fever and having an exposure risk of brucellosis.

Brucellosis: the first case of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital and review of the literature.

Brucellosis remains a major zoonotic disease worldwide. It has never been reported at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH). The authors describe the first case of brucellosis in KCMH, and also review all previous reports in Thailand. The presented case was a 52-year-old Thai man, living in Phetchabun Province, who was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis two years prior to admission. He presented with prolonged fever, dry cough, weight loss of eight kg over three months, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia. Blood and bone marrow cultures grew Brucella melitensis at 72 hours of incubation. A slide agglutination (Rose Bengal) test was also positive for Brucella antibody. He had been exposed to contaminated placenta of his goats that had spontaneous abortion in the past few months before his illness. The patient was successfully treated with gentamicin, doxycycline, and rifampicin. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion when evaluating patients presenting with prolonged fever and having an exposure risk of brucellosis.