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. 2025 Mar 28;13(4):771.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13040771.

Seroprevalence of IgG Antibodies Against Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) Virus in Horses in Southern Norway

Hanne Kloster  1 , Camilla Stormo  1 , Anita Haug Haaland  2   3 , Snorre Stuen  4 , Vivian Kjelland  1
Affiliations

Seroprevalence of IgG Antibodies Against Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) Virus in Horses in Southern Norway

Hanne Kloster et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Ixodes ricinus ticks play a crucial role as carriers of diseases, transmitting pathogens to vertebrate hosts, including horses. This study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of IgG antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s. l.), Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBE-virus) in equine sera collected in southern Norway. In total, sera from 331 horses stabled in four counties (Agder, Vestfold and Telemark, Vestland, and Viken) were analyzed by immunoblot. In total, 66% of the horses were IgG-seropositive for antibodies against one or multiple tick-borne pathogens. The highest seroprevalence was detected against B. burgdorferi s. l. (47%), followed by A. phagocytophilum (34%) and TBE-virus (10%). A significant difference between the counties regarding IgG antibodies against A. phagocytophilum was found, with the highest seroprevalence in horses stabled in the coastal areas of Agder and Vestland. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that horses in southern Norway are at high risk of contracting tick-borne infections.

Keywords: Ixodes ricinus; equine infection; immunoblot; tick-borne pathogens.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Blood samples were collected from horses residing in southern Norway: Agder, Vestfold and Telemark, Vestland, and Viken. The stables in Agder and Vestland were located within 15 km of the coast. In Vestfold and Telemark, the stables were located 60–120 km from the coast and defined as inland. The location of 71 of the 77 stables in Viken County (Group 2) was unknown, and coordinates for the Central Laboratory at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences were used as the location for Group 2. The number of samples at each location was represented using dot size, while categories (<20, 20–40, >40 samples) were color-coded in red, purple, and blue (the map was created in R Core Team (2023) and modified in Microsoft Paint).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Seroprevalence of IgG antibodies against B. burgdorferi s.l., A. phagocytophilum, and TBE-virus in horses residing in southern Norway. * The differences between counties in the seroprevalence of A. phagocytophilum were statistically significant.
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