Opportunities of early laboratory diagnostics of tick-born neuroinfections: tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme borreliosis

Abstract

Diagnostics of tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme borreliosis is possible only by laboratory confirmation. The purpose of the investigation was the study of possibilities of immunoferment analysis and polymerase chain reaction for early diagnostics of these infections. It was revealed that mixinfection of patient does not influence on revelation of infectious agent by immunoferment analysis and polymerase chain reaction in the early period of disease. For initial diagnostics of focal and meningeal forms of tick-born neuroinfections, revelation IgM in blood serum is the most informative. The investigation of patient liquor by the method of polymerase chain reaction is the most available for diagnostics of early neuroborreliosis. The combination of methods (immunoferment analysis and polymerase chain reaction) increases the effectiveness of early laboratory diagnostics of focal and meningeal forms of tick-born encephalitis and Lyme borreliosis.