CRITERIA OF POSITIVITY FOR Ig ANTIBODIES IN THE METHOD OF IMMUNE BLOTTING OF LYME DISEASE

Abstract

There are currently no accepted criteria for positive Western blots in Russian patients with Lyme borreliosis. The purpose of the current study was to develop criteria for a positive IgG westem-blot to aid particularly in the diagnosis of patients with joint manifestation of the disorder. Patients: 97 with Lyme disease, 145 - control subjects. IgG antibody responses were determined to 3 species ofB.burgdorferi sensu lato by Western blotting, using blots prepared by manufacturer. The best discriminatory ability of test criteria was chained by requiring any 3 of 11 IgG bands, a definition that could be used with B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B.garinii and B.afzelii strains. With these 3 antigen preparation, positive IgG blots were found in 0 to 18% of patients with localized erythema migrans of < 4 weeks duration, 23 to 39% of those with disseminated infection < 20 weeks duration, and in 39 to 46% of those with late arthritis/arthralgia of >6 months duration the specificity was 93 to 99%. Thus, IgG Western blotting may bring greater specificity to serologic testing in Lyme borreliosis, but the sensitivity is limited.

Keywords

• western-blots
• arthritis
• lvme disease