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Borrelia burgdorferi as an etiologic agent in chronic heart failure?
Insights
This study investigated Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in dilated cardiomyopathy patients. Higher antibody prevalence suggests a potential role for this bacterium in chronic heart conditions.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Cardiology
- Immunology
Background:
- Cardiac manifestations of Lyme borreliosis, including conduction disorders and cardiomegaly, have been documented since 1980.
- Borrelia burgdorferi has been isolated from patients with chronic heart disturbances, suggesting an etiologic role.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of serum antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in patients diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy.
- To explore the potential association between Borrelia burgdorferi infection and the development of dilated cardiomyopathy.
Main Methods:
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was employed to detect serum antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi.
- Sera from 72 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, 55 with coronary heart disease, and 61 healthy blood donors were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Positive ELISA results for Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies were found in 26.4% of dilated cardiomyopathy patients.
- Antibody prevalence was 12.7% in coronary heart disease patients and 8.2% in healthy blood donors.
- A significantly higher prevalence of antibodies was observed in the dilated cardiomyopathy group compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest a potential association between Borrelia burgdorferi infection and dilated cardiomyopathy.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise etiologic role of Borrelia burgdorferi in chronic heart failure.
Abstract:
Since 1980 cardiac manifestations of Lyme borreliosis have been described as selflimited conduction and transient left ventricular disorders or even cardiomegaly. An etiologic role of Borrelia burgdorferi in long-standing chronic heart disturbances is suggested by the cultivation of a strain of Borrelia burgdorferi which we were able to isolate from an endomyocardial biopsy of a patient with long-standing dilated cardiomyopathy. The aim of this study was to acquire information about the prevalence of serum antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. By ELISA, we studied the sera of 72 consecutive patients with chronic heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy, of 55 patients with coronary heart disease, and of 61 healthy blood donors; positive ELISA values were determined in 26.4%, 12.7%, and 8.2% of serum samples, respectively. These findings further suggest an association or even an etiologic role for Borrelia burgdorferi in dilated cardiomyopathy.