This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hauser, U.
Right arrow Articles by Wilske, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hauser, U.
Right arrow Articles by Wilske, B.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, February 1998, p. 427-436, Vol. 36, No. 2
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Impact of Strain Heterogeneity on Lyme Disease Serology in Europe: Comparison of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays Using Different Species of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato

Ulrike Hauser,1,* Heide Krahl,1 Helmut Peters,2 Volker Fingerle,1 and Bettina Wilske1

Max von Pettenkofer-Institut für Hygiene und Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, D-80336 Munich,1 and Behring Diagnostics GmbH, D-35001 Marburg,2 Germany

Received 20 June 1997/Returned for modification 31 July 1997/Accepted 4 November 1997

For the standardization of serological tests for Lyme borreliosis (LB) in Europe, the influence of the heterogeneity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato must be assessed in detail. For this study four immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) with octyl-beta -D-glucopyranoside extracts of strains PKo (Borrelia afzelii), PBi (Borrelia garinii), and PKa2 and B31 (both B. burgdorferi sensu stricto) were compared. Strains PKo, PBi, and PKa2 at the passages used for antigen preparations abundantly expressed outer surface protein C (OspC), whereas strain B31 at the passage used for antigen preparation did not express OspC. Sera (all from Germany) from 222 patients with clinically defined LB of all stages, 133 blood donors, and 458 forest workers were tested. None of the forest workers had symptoms consistent with LB at the time that the samples were collected. For IgM tests, receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated that discrimination between sera from patients and blood donors was best with strain PKo and worst with strain B31. The discriminatory abilities of the four IgG ELISAs were similar in a diagnostically reasonable specificity range (90 to 100%). More than 20% of the sera from forest workers reacted strongly in the PKo IgG ELISA (optical density value, >1.5; other assays, less than 8%). Western blots of the sera with the most discrepant ELISA results revealed almost exclusive reactivity with p17. This highly immunogenic antigen is only expressed by strain PKo. This observation might be important for the development of assays enabling discrimination between asymptomatic or previous infection and active disease.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Max von Pettenkofer-Institut für Hygiene und Medizinische Mikrobiologie der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Pettenkoferstr. 9a, D-80336 Munich, Germany. Phone: 0049-89-51605225. Fax: 0049-89-51604757. E-mail: hauser{at}m3401.mpk.med.uni-muenchen.de.


Journal of Clinical Microbiology, February 1998, p. 427-436, Vol. 36, No. 2
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Mavin, S, Evans, R, Milner, R M, Chatterton, J M W, Ho-Yen, D O (2009). Local Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and Borrelia afzelii strains in a single mixed antigen improves western blot sensitivity. J. Clin. Pathol. 62: 552-554 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Stubs, G., Fingerle, V., Wilske, B., Gobel, U. B., Zahringer, U., Schumann, R. R., Schroder, N. W. J. (2009). Acylated Cholesteryl Galactosides Are Specific Antigens of Borrelia Causing Lyme Disease and Frequently Induce Antibodies in Late Stages of Disease. J. Biol. Chem. 284: 13326-13334 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Blanc, F., Jaulhac, B., Fleury, M., de Seze, J., de Martino, S. J., Remy, V., Blaison, G., Hansmann, Y., Christmann, D., Tranchant, C. (2007). Relevance of the antibody index to diagnose Lyme neuroborreliosis among seropositive patients. Neurology 69: 953-958 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mavin, S., Milner, R. M., Evans, R., Chatterton, J. M. W., Joss, A. W. L., Ho-Yen, D. O. (2007). The use of local isolates in Western blots improves serological diagnosis of Lyme disease in Scotland. J Med Microbiol 56: 47-51 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Marangoni, A., Sambri, V., Accardo, S., Cavrini, F., Mondardini, V., Moroni, A., Storni, E., Cevenini, R. (2006). A Decrease in the Immunoglobulin G Antibody Response against the VlsE Protein of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Correlates with the Resolution of Clinical Signs in Antibiotic-Treated Patients with Early Lyme Disease. CVI 13: 525-529 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Aguero-Rosenfeld, M. E., Wang, G., Schwartz, I., Wormser, G. P. (2005). Diagnosis of Lyme Borreliosis. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 18: 484-509 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Marangoni, A., Sparacino, M., Cavrini, F., Storni, E., Mondardini, V., Sambri, V., Cevenini, R. (2005). Comparative evaluation of three different ELISA methods for the diagnosis of early culture-confirmed Lyme disease in Italy. J Med Microbiol 54: 361-367 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ornstein, K., Ostberg, Y., Bunikis, J., Noppa, L., Berglund, J., Norrby, R., Bergstrom, S. (2002). Differential Immune Response to the Variable Surface Loop Antigen of P66 of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Species in Geographically Diverse Populations of Lyme Borreliosis Patients. CVI 9: 1382-1384 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Liang, F. T., Nelson, F. K., Fikrig, E. (2002). DNA Microarray Assessment of Putative Borrelia burgdorferi Lipoprotein Genes. Infect. Immun. 70: 3300-3303 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Heikkila, T., Seppala, I., Saxen, H., Panelius, J., Yrjanainen, H., Lahdenne, P. (2002). Species-Specific Serodiagnosis of Lyme Arthritis and Neuroborreliosis Due to Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Stricto, B. afzelii, and B. garinii by Using Decorin Binding Protein A. J. Clin. Microbiol. 40: 453-460 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Piacentino, J D, Schwartz, B S (2002). Occupational risk of Lyme disease: an epidemiological review. Occup. Environ. Med. 59: 75-84 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ornstein, K., Berglund, J., Nilsson, I., Norrby, R., Bergström, S. (2001). Characterization of Lyme Borreliosis Isolates from Patients with Erythema Migrans and Neuroborreliosis in Southern Sweden. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39: 1294-1298 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kouzmitcheva, G. A., Petrenko, V. A., Smith, G. P. (2001). Identifying Diagnostic Peptides for Lyme Disease through Epitope Discovery. CVI 8: 150-160 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wang, G., van Dam, A. P., Schwartz, I., Dankert, J. (1999). Molecular Typing of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato: Taxonomic, Epidemiological, and Clinical Implications. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 12: 633-653 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hauser, U., Lehnert, G., Wilske, B. (1999). Validity of Interpretation Criteria for Standardized Western Blots (Immunoblots) for Serodiagnosis of Lyme Borreliosis Based on Sera Collected throughout Europe. J. Clin. Microbiol. 37: 2241-2247 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Masters, E. J., Kirkland, K. B., Dennis, D. T. (1998). Erythema Migrans in the South. Arch Intern Med 158: 2162-2165 [Full Text]  
  • Masters, E., Granter, S., Duray, P., Cordes, P. (1998). Physician-Diagnosed Erythema Migrans and Erythema Migrans-like Rashes Following Lone Star Tick Bites. Arch Dermatol 134: 955-960 [Abstract] [Full Text]