Examination of Koch's postulates for Borrelia burgdorferi as the causative agent of limb/joint dysfunction in dogs with borreliosis.

Borrelia burgdorferi has been implicated as the causative agent of borreliosis in dogs, which is characteristically a limb/joint disorder, but can be associated with multiple-organ dysfunction. Attempts to reproduce this disease by inoculating dogs with B burgdorferi have not been successful. In the study of this report, B burgdorferi from Ixodes dammini ticks was used to induce signs of limb/joint dysfunction, fever, anorexia, depression, and systemic infection in dogs. A pure culture of this bacterium from the blood of an infected dog has been used to fulfill Koch's postulates for B burgdorferi as the causative agent of limb/joint dysfunction associated with borreliosis in dogs.