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Improved serodiagnosis of erythema migrans using novel recombinant borrelial BBK32 antigens
Pekka Lahdenne1, Jaana Panelius1, Harri Saxen1
1Hospital for Children and Adolescents, University of Helsinki, Stenbäckinkatu 11, 00290 Helsinki, Finland 2Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Haartman Institute, Haartmaninkatu 3, 00014 Helsinki, Finland 3,7Department of Otolaryngology3 and Laboratory Diagnostics7, Helsinki University Central Hospital, 00290 Helsinki, Finland 4Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA 5Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Ljubljana, Slovenia 6Professor-Hess-Children's Hospital Bremen and Children's Hospital of the University of Würzburg, Germany.
The performances of recombinant borrelial BBK32 proteins as antigens in the serology of erythema migrans (EM) were evaluated in an ELISA. Serum samples were obtained from 75 patients from different geographic areas where three borrelial species, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia afzelii or Borrelia garinii, cause Lyme borreliosis. Antibodies to variant BBK32 proteins were compared with anti-flagella or with anti-IR(6) peptide antibodies. In IgG ELISA at presentation of EM, 65/75 (87 %) patients had antibodies to one or more variants of BBK32, 29/75 (39 %) had antibodies to flagella and 29/75 (39 %) had antibodies to the VlsE IR(6) peptide antigen. The immunoreactivity against variant BBK32 proteins differed in patients from different geographic regions. The present results suggest that the BBK32 proteins used in combination or in parallel may improve the laboratory diagnosis of EM.
The performances of recombinant borrelial BBK32 proteins as antigens in the serology of erythema migrans (EM) were evaluated in an ELISA. Serum samples were obtained from 75 patients from different geographic areas where three borrelial species, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia afzelii or Borrelia garinii, cause Lyme borreliosis. Antibodies to variant BBK32 proteins were compared with anti-flagella or with anti-IR(6) peptide antibodies. In IgG ELISA at presentation of EM, 65/75 (87 %) patients had antibodies to one or more variants of BBK32, 29/75 (39 %) had antibodies to flagella and 29/75 (39 %) had antibodies to the VlsE IR(6) peptide antigen. The immunoreactivity against variant BBK32 proteins differed in patients from different geographic regions. The present results suggest that the BBK32 proteins used in combination or in parallel may improve the laboratory diagnosis of EM.