TY - JOUR AU - Shultz, Laura AU - Fausak, Erik PY - 2022/02/16 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Borrelia burgdorferi exposure in coyotes: an indicator of B. burgdorferi levels in urban versus rural environments JF - Veterinary Evidence JA - VE VL - 7 IS - 1 SE - Knowledge Summaries DO - 10.18849/ve.v7i1.444 UR - https://veterinaryevidence.org/index.php/ve/article/view/444 SP - AB - <p><strong>PICO question</strong></p><p>Do wild coyotes in the US that are in an urban habitat compared to a rural habitat have a higher prevalence of <em>Borrelia burgdorferi</em> seroconversion?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Clinical bottom line</strong></p><p><strong>Category of research question</strong></p><p>Prevalence</p><p><strong>The number and type of study designs reviewed</strong></p><p>Two papers, both utilising a cross-sectional study design</p><p><strong>Strength of evidence</strong></p><p>Zero</p><p><strong>Outcomes reported</strong></p><p>The relevant studies provide very limited to no evidence towards answering this PICO question. In one, while the absolute percentage of <em>Borrelia</em>-antibody-positive canines (including dogs in addition to coyotes) is higher in metropolitan areas, the effect was not found to be statistically significant, possibly due to their small sample sizes. In the second study, prevalence of antibodies against <em>Borrelia</em> was compared between different rural habitats, but no urban coyotes were tested as a comparison and thus the PICO question cannot be evaluated</p><p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p><p>There is a knowledge gap concerning the prevalence of <em>Borrelia</em> in coyotes and how it differs between urban and rural environments. Wild coyotes could be used as a sentinel species of Lyme disease activity and to assess potential for domestic pet and human infections, which would inform clinical differential diagnoses as well as testing and vaccination recommendations. More studies are needed before this PICO question can be answered in a confident manner</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff;"><a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://learn.rcvsknowledge.org/mod/book/view.php?id=50" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How to apply this evidence in practice</a></span></p><p>The application of evidence into practice should take into account multiple factors, not limited to: individual clinical expertise, patient’s circumstances and owners’ values, country, location or clinic where you work, the individual case in front of you, the availability of therapies and resources.</p><p>Knowledge Summaries are a resource to help reinforce or inform decision making. They do not override the responsibility or judgement of the practitioner to do what is best for the animal in their care.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/oa-icon.jpg" alt="Open Access"> <img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/pr-icon.jpg" alt="Peer Reviewed"></p> ER -