Respiratory Disease in Kennelled Dogs: Serological Responses toBordetella bronchisepticaLipopolysaccharide Do Not Correlate with Bacterial Isolation or Clinical Respiratory Symptoms

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Abstract
The role ofBordetella bronchisepticain a natural outbreak of canine infectious respiratory disease was investigated both by culture and serological analysis.B. bronchisepticawas found in the lungs of a large proportion of clinically healthy dogs and in a greater proportion of dogs with respiratory disease. Using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antigen-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we analyzed the serological responses of a large number of dogs. Dogs with high antibody levels showed no protection from disease, and there was no correlation between the development of disease and rising antibody titer. Similarly, there was no difference in antibody levels in dogs with and withoutB. bronchisepticain the lungs. Antibodies to LPS have no predictive value in determining which animals will contract respiratory disease, how severe the disease will be, or which dogs will haveB. bronchisepticacolonizing the lungs.