Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 1998, p. 857-861, Vol. 36, No. 4
Abteilung Immunologie,
Received 27 January 1997/Returned for modification 10 June
1997/Accepted 6 January 1998
The outer surface protein C (OspC) and the internal 14-kDa
flagellin fragment of strain GeHo of Borrelia burgdorferi
sensu stricto were expressed as recombinant proteins in
Escherichia coli and were purified for use in an
immunoglobulin M (IgM) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (OspC-14-kDa
antigen ELISA). No hint at disturbing protein-protein interferences,
which might influence the availability of immunoreactive epitopes, was
found when the recombinant antigens were combined in the ELISA. The
recombinant OspC-14-kDa antigen ELISA was compared to a commercial IgM
ELISA that used a detergent cell extract from Borrelia
afzelii PKo as the antigen. According to the manufacturer's
information, the cell extract contains, in addition to other antigens,
the following diagnostically relevant antigens: the 100-kDa (synonyms,
93- and 83-kDa antigens), 41-kDa, OspA, OspC, and 17-kDa antigens. The
specificity was adjusted to 95% on the basis of data for 154 healthy
controls. On testing of 104 serum samples from patients with erythema
migrans (EM), the sensitivity of the recombinant ELISA (46%) for IgM
antibodies was similar to that of the commercial ELISA (45%). However,
when 42 serum samples from patients with polyclonal B-cell stimulation due to an Epstein-Barr virus infection were tested, false-positive reactions were significantly less frequent in the recombinant ELISA
(10%) than in the whole-cell-extract ELISA (23%). OspC displays sequence heterogeneity of up to 40% according to the genomospecies. However, when the reactions of serum specimens from controls and EM
patients with OspC from representative strains of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (strain GeHo) and B. afzelii (strain PKo) were compared in an ELISA, almost no
differences in specificity and sensitivity were seen. This demonstrates
that the sera predominantly recognize the common epitopes of OspC
tested in this study. In conclusion, we suggest that the OspC-14-kDa
antigens ELISA is a suitable test for the detection of an IgM response
in early Lyme disease.
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Using Recombinant
OspC and the Internal 14-kDa Flagellin Fragment for Serodiagnosis of
Early Lyme Disease
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Neurologische
Klinik und Poliklinik der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg,
Breisacher Str. 64, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany. Phone: 49-761-270-5001. Fax: 49-761-270-5408. E-mail: rauer{at}nz11.ukl.uni-freiburg.de.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 1998, p. 857-861, Vol. 36, No. 4
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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