BACKGROUND: Current serodiagnostics for Lyme disease lack sensitivity during early disease, and cannot determine treatment response. We evaluated an assay based on QuantiFERON technology utilizing peptide antigens derived from Borrelia burgdorferi to stimulate interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release as an alternative to serodiagnosis for the laboratory detection of Lyme disease. METHODS: Blood was obtained from patients with erythema migrans before (n = 29) and 2 months after (n = 27) antibiotic therapy. IFN-γ release was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) following overnight stimulation of whole blood with the peptide antigens, and compared to the results of standard serological assays (C6, ELISA, and Western blot). RESULTS: IFN-γ release was observed in pretreatment blood of 20 of 29 (69%) patients with Lyme disease. Following antibiotic treatment, IFN-γ was significantly reduced (P = .0002), and was detectable in only 4 of 20 (20%) initially positive patients. By contrast, anti-C6 antibodies were detected in pretreatment sera from 17 of 29 (59%) subjects, whereas only 5 of 29 (17%) patients had positive Western blot seroreactivity. Antibody responses persisted and expanded following treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that measurement of IFN-γ after incubating blood with Borrelia antigens could be useful in the laboratory diagnosis of early Lyme disease. Also, after antibiotic treatment, this response appears to be short lived.
BACKGROUND: Current serodiagnostics for Lyme disease lack sensitivity during early disease, and cannot determine treatment response. We evaluated an assay based on QuantiFERON technology utilizing peptide antigens derived from Borrelia burgdorferi to stimulate interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release as an alternative to serodiagnosis for the laboratory detection of Lyme disease. METHODS: Blood was obtained from patients with erythema migrans before (n = 29) and 2 months after (n = 27) antibiotic therapy. IFN-γ release was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) following overnight stimulation of whole blood with the peptide antigens, and compared to the results of standard serological assays (C6, ELISA, and Western blot). RESULTS: IFN-γ release was observed in pretreatment blood of 20 of 29 (69%) patients with Lyme disease. Following antibiotic treatment, IFN-γ was significantly reduced (P = .0002), and was detectable in only 4 of 20 (20%) initially positive patients. By contrast, anti-C6 antibodies were detected in pretreatment sera from 17 of 29 (59%) subjects, whereas only 5 of 29 (17%) patients had positive Western blot seroreactivity. Antibody responses persisted and expanded following treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that measurement of IFN-γ after incubating blood with Borrelia antigens could be useful in the laboratory diagnosis of early Lyme disease. Also, after antibiotic treatment, this response appears to be short lived.
Authors: Katherine A Feldman; Neeta P Connally; Andrias Hojgaard; Erin H Jones; Jennifer L White; Alison F Hinckley Journal: J Vector Ecol Date: 2015-06 Impact factor: 1.671
Authors: Gary P Wormser; Raymond J Dattwyler; Eugene D Shapiro; John J Halperin; Allen C Steere; Mark S Klempner; Peter J Krause; Johan S Bakken; Franc Strle; Gerold Stanek; Linda Bockenstedt; Durland Fish; J Stephen Dumler; Robert B Nadelman Journal: Clin Infect Dis Date: 2006-10-02 Impact factor: 9.079
Authors: M E Aguero-Rosenfeld; J Nowakowski; S Bittker; D Cooper; R B Nadelman; G P Wormser Journal: J Clin Microbiol Date: 1996-01 Impact factor: 5.948
Authors: Dean A Jobe; Steven D Lovrich; Krista E Asp; Michelle A Mathiason; Stephanie E Albrecht; Ronald F Schell; Steven M Callister Journal: Clin Vaccine Immunol Date: 2008-04-16
Authors: John A Branda; Barbara A Body; Jeff Boyle; Bernard M Branson; Raymond J Dattwyler; Erol Fikrig; Noel J Gerald; Maria Gomes-Solecki; Martin Kintrup; Michel Ledizet; Andrew E Levin; Michael Lewinski; Lance A Liotta; Adriana Marques; Paul S Mead; Emmanuel F Mongodin; Segaran Pillai; Prasad Rao; William H Robinson; Kristian M Roth; Martin E Schriefer; Thomas Slezak; Jessica Snyder; Allen C Steere; Jan Witkowski; Susan J Wong; Steven E Schutzer Journal: Clin Infect Dis Date: 2018-03-19 Impact factor: 9.079
Authors: Frederik R van de Schoor; Hedwig D Vrijmoeth; Michelle A E Brouwer; Hadewych J M Ter Hofstede; Heidi L M Lemmers; Helga Dijkstra; Collins K Boahen; Marije Oosting; Bart-Jan Kullberg; Joppe W Hovius; Cees C van den Wijngaard; Frank L van de Veerdonk; Mihai G Netea; Leo A B Joosten Journal: Infect Immun Date: 2022-02-07 Impact factor: 3.609
Authors: Paul M Arnaboldi; Christina D'Arco; Yosefa Hefter; Sheila Nolan; Dean A Jobe; Steven M Callister; Raymond J Dattwyler Journal: Clin Infect Dis Date: 2021-10-20 Impact factor: 20.999
Authors: T van Gorkom; S U C Sankatsing; W Voet; D M Ismail; R H Muilwijk; M Salomons; B J M Vlaminckx; A W J Bossink; D W Notermans; J J M Bouwman; K Kremer; S F T Thijsen Journal: J Clin Microbiol Date: 2018-03-26 Impact factor: 5.948
Authors: Barbara Strobino; Katja Steinhagen; Wolfgang Meyer; Thomas Scheper; Sandra Saschenbrecker; Wolfgang Schlumberger; Winfried Stöcker; Andrea Gaito; Brian A Fallon Journal: Healthcare (Basel) Date: 2018-06-19
Authors: F R van de Schoor; M E Baarsma; S A Gauw; L A B Joosten; B J Kullberg; C C van den Wijngaard; J W Hovius Journal: BMC Infect Dis Date: 2019-08-20 Impact factor: 3.090