Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme) ELISA
Antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi are detected with a semi-quantitative enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) technique. Our validated in-house assay has been in use for over 20 years1 and adheres to strict quality control criteria for lot-to-lot reactivity. Patient serum is diluted in an adsorbent solution that reduces the incidence of false positives.2, 3 Serum giving a positive reaction is assigned a titer based on the standard curve and assayed by Lyme Western Blot for confirmation.
Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme) Western Blot
The Lyme Western Blot assay qualitatively detects antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease. This method provides a detailed characterization of the immune response by detecting specific reactivity to discrete borrelial antigens. Presence of IgG and IgM antibodies are detected. If the samples contain B. burgdorferi antibodies in sufficient quantities, then specific bands will be present. Reactivity is determined by comparison to controls.4, 5, 6 and 7.
References
1. Rose, C.D., Fawcett, P.T., Singsen, B.H., Dubbs, S.B. and Doughty, R.A. “Use of Western blot and ELISA assays to assist in the diagnosis of Lyme disease,” Pediatrics, 88(3):465-470, 1991.
2. Fawcett, P.T., Gibney, K.M., Rose, C.D., Klein, J.D. and Doughty, R.A. Adsorption with soluble Escherichia coli antigen fraction (SEF) improves the specificity of ELISA tests for Lyme disease. J. Rheumatol. 18:705-708, 1991.
3. Fawcett, P.T., O’Brien, A.E. and Doughty, R.A. “An adsorption procedure to increase the specificity of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for Lyme disease without decreasing sensitivity”. Arthritis Rheum. 32:1041-1044, 1989.
4. Rose, C.D., Fawcett, P.T., Eppes, S.C., Klein, J.D., Gibney, K.M. and Doughty, R.A. Pediatric Lyme arthritis: Clinical spectrum and outcome. J. Ped. Ortho. 14:238-241, 1994.
5. Rose, C.D., Fawcett, P.T., Gibney, K.M. and Doughty, R.A. The overdiagnosis of Lyme disease in children residing in an endemic area. Clinical Pediatrics 33:663-668, 1994.
6. Philipp, M.T., Marques, A.R., Fawcett, P.T., Dally, L.G., Martin, D.S. C6 Test as an Indicator of Therapy Outcome for Patients with Localized or Disseminated Lyme Borreliosis. J. Clin. Microbiol. Vol. 41, No. 11 p. 4955-4960, November 2003.
7. Fawcett, P.T., Rose, C.D., Maduskuie, V.L., Brescia, A.C. “Comparison of inflammatory mediator profiles in synovial fluid from pediatric patients with acute and chronic Lyme arthritis.” American College of Rheumatology 71th Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston MA, November, 2007. Arthritis Rheum 5 6:S141, 2007.