Prevalence of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi flagellin in Styrian blood donors.

Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) are the most common diseases in Austria caused by tick bites. TBE endemic areas are well defined. It seemed to be of interest to compare prevalence data of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi (B.b.) to TBE endemic and non endemic areas. Blood samples (n = 1162) were obtained from healthy blood donors in combination with a standardized questionnaire during 21 excursions to 7 selected regions of Styria, Austria. Serum samples were screened for IgG antibodies against B.b. by a commercial flagellum ELISA. None of the tested persons showed symptoms of active Lyme borreliosis. A higher prevalence of antibodies against B.b. could be found in TBE endemic areas (7.7%) compared to TBE nonendemic areas (3.8%). There was a significant increase in positive antibodies against B.b. with age, exposure and number of tick bites remembered by test persons. The antibody prevalence to B.b. flagellin antigen is significantly higher in TBE endemic areas than in non-endemic comparative regions.