Serologic prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis, Ehrlichia canis, and Borrelia burgdorferi infections in Brazil

Dogs infected with Dirofilaria immitis, Ehrlichia canis, or Borrelia burgdorferi may show nonspecific clinical signs or may be asymptomatic. In Brazil, E. canis and D. immitis infections are frequently diagnosed based on the presence of classical signs; however, serologic tests are seldom performed to confirm the presence of infection. To estimate the seroprevalence of these three canine diseases in Brazil, 2,553 dogs presented at veterinary practices for various tests, routine treatments, or examinations were evaluated by an in-office commercial ELISA test kit (SNAP 3Dx, IDEXX Laboratories). Each dog was examined by the veterinarian, and a whole-blood sample was collected and immediately tested for the simultaneous detection of B. burgdorferi and E. canis antibodies and D. immitis antigen. D. immitis infection was detected in 51 dogs (2.0%) and E. canis antibodies were present in 505 dogs 19.8%). Only one dog tested positive for B. burgdorferi antibodies.

Case study in physician profiling

In this article sustained and significant patient day reductions were accomplished over a short period of time with low capital investment. Using an education focus and concentrating on attempting to rationalize observed ranges of physician-resource use across peers, the hospital was able to reduce the length of stay by .5 days in a one-year period. This reduction was accomplished over a period where other local hospitals experienced minimal decreases in their lengths of stay. The success of this project suggests how the sharing of credible information with physicians within a constructive context can lead to significant and timely resource use reductions.