Testing for Lyme Disease

Lyme disease (LD) or Lyme Borreliosis is a bacterial infection that can be transmitted to humans by infected ticks. It is estimated that about 700 000 individuals in Europe and in the United States are infected with LD every year, though the number of unrecorded or misdiagnosed cases could be higher (1).

Symptoms include fever, headache, joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes. Lyme disease is often accompanied by a distinctive expanding rash (Erythema Migrans) which starts at the site of the tick bite (2).  In most cases when LD is diagnosed early, treatment with antibiotics is very effective. However, without treatment, the infection can spread to different areas of the body, impacting the joints, heart, and nervous system (3). Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for managing Lyme disease effectively.

The Biomedica Borrelia ELISA Assays were utilized in a recent study to estimate the incidence of symtopmatic Lyme Borreliosis cases in Lubin, Poland in 2021:  Estimated Incidence of Symptomatic Lyme Borreliosis Cases in Lublin, Poland in 2021. Colby E et al., Microorganisms. 2023; 11(10):2481. The authors concluded that “after adjusting for under-ascertainment, the estimated number of symptomatic LB cases in Lublin in 2021 was 6204 (population-based incidence: 467.6/100,000). After adjustment for under-ascertainment, the incidence of symptomatic LB in Lublin, Poland, is high.”

Serological Testing for Lyme Disease with BIOMEDICA ELISA Kits

The Borrelia assays from Biomedica use recombinant antigens to specifically detect IgM and IgG antibodies against the immunodominant antigens of the three genospecies (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii) and thus offer:

• High sensitivity and specificity that is confirmed by clinical samples
• Standardized CSF and serum analysis available
• For manual and automated testing
• No extra RF stripping necessary
• Widely cited
• CE marked – for IVD use in the EU

 

Borrelia IgM ELISA (cat. no. BI-21042)

ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY FOR THE QUALITATIVE OR QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF IgG ANTIBODIES TO BORRELIA IN PLASMA, SERUM OR CEREBROSPINAL FLUID

The following recombinant antigens are utilized in the Biomedica Borrelia IgM ELISA Assay:

• p21  OspC – B. afzellii (pKo)
• p21  OspC – B. garinii (20047)
• p41/I – B. bavariensis (pBi)
• VIsE – fusion proteins of different Borrelia genospecies 

 

Borrelia IgG ELISA (cat. no. BI- 21032)

ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY FOR THE QUALITATIVE OR QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF IgG ANTIBODIES TO BORRELIA IN PLASMA, SERUM OR CEREBROSPINAL FLUID

The following recombinant antigens are utilized in the Biomedica Borrelia IgG ELISA Assay:

• p21 – OspC – B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (B31), B. garinii (20047)
• p18 – B. afzelii (pKo)
• p100 – B. afzelii (pKo)
• VIsE – fusion protein of different Borrelia genospecies

 

Literature

1. Lyme borreliosis diagnosis: state of the art of improvements and innovations. Guérin M et al., 2023; BMC Microbiol, 23(1):204.
2. Lyme borreliosis. Steere AC et al., 2016 ; Rev Dis Primers. 2:16090.
3. Neurologic manifestations of Lyme Borreliosis. Summer G et al., 2019; Rev Neurol (Paris). 175(7-8):417-419.