A pilot study assessing canine sero-surveillance within a designated county shelter to evaluate the risk of Lyme disease in humans

Abstract Tick-borne diseases are an increasing public health concern in Pennsylvania, affecting both humans and animals. This pilot study explores the use of shelter dogs as sentinel species for regional Lyme disease surveillance. Serological data from shelter dogs in Beaver County (2011–2021) were tested for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease), Anaplasma spp., and Ehrlichia spp. Canine results were compared with human case data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. A strong positive correlation (r = 0.85, p = 0.002) was found between canine B. burgdorferi seroprevalence and reported human Lyme disease incidence. Temporal trends also aligned closely across species. No meaningful correlation was observed for anaplasmosis or ehrlichiosis, due to low or absent human case counts. These findings suggest that shelter dogs could serve as effective indicators of human Lyme disease risk. However, limitations include reliance on a single shelter population, diagnostic differences between species, and potential underreporting of human cases. Expanding the approach to include more shelters and integrating environmental data could improve surveillance accuracy and public health response.