The Lyme Disease Network
Medical / Scientific Abstract


Title:Borrelia burgdorferi-specific immune complexes in acute Lyme disease.
Authors:Schutzer SE, Coyle PK, Reid P, Holland B
Source:JAMA 1999 Nov 24;282(20):1942-6
Organization:Department of Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, Newark 07103, USA. schutzer@umdnj.edu

Abstract:
CONTEXT: Diagnosis of infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, the cause of Lyme disease (LD), has been impeded by the lack of effective assays to detect active infection. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether B. burgdorferi-specific immune complexes are detectable during active infection in LD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Cross-sectional analysis of serum samples from 168 patients fulfilling Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance criteria for LD and 145 healthy and other disease controls conducted over 8 years. Tests were performed blinded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Detection of B. burgdorferi immune complexes by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot. RESULTS: The B. burgdorferi immune complexes were found in 25 of 26 patients with early seronegative erythema migrans (EM) LD; 105 of 107 patients with seropositive EM LD; 6 of 10 patients who were seronegative with culture-positive EM; 0 of 12 patients who were treated and recovered from LD; and 13 of 13 patients with neurologic LD without EM. Among 147 controls, B. burgdorferi immune complex was found in 0 of 50 healthy individuals; 0 of 40 patients with persistent fatigue; 0 of 7 individuals with frequent tick exposure; and 2 of 50 patients with other diseases. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that B. burgdorferi immune complex formation is a common process in active LD. Analysis of the B. burgdorferi immune complexes by a simple technique has the potential to support or exclude a diagnosis of early as well as active LD infection.

Keywords:
Acute Disease, Adult, Aged, Antibodies, Bacterial, ANALYSIS, Antigen-Antibody Complex, ANALYSIS, Blotting, Western, Borrelia burgdorferi, IMMUNOLOGY, Cross-Sectional Studies, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Female, Human, Lyme Disease, DIAGNOSIS, IMMUNOLOGY, Male, Middle Age, Reproducibility of Results, Serologic Tests, Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Language: Eng

Unique ID: 20046405


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