First molecular detection of Borrelia afzelii in clinical samples in Korea

Borrelia afzelii nucleic acids were detected in the sera of febrile disease patients by a nested PCR that targeted the rrf (5S)-rrl (23S) spacer of B. burgdorferi sensu lato. The B. afzelii-specific DNA fragment was detected in 8 out of 283 sera which were proven to have immunoglobulin G or M antibodies against B. burgdorferi antigens through IFA. The results were further confirmed through restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing analysis of the DNA fragments. The results indicated for the first time that Lyme borreliosis is prevalent in Korea.