Anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibody response over the course of Lyme neuroborreliosis.
Characteristic findings on examination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in Lyme neuroborreliosis include mononuclear pleocytosis, oligoclonal immunoglobulin G (IgG) bands, and evidence for local production of specific antibodies. We utilized an immunospot assay to detect cells secreting anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies of different isotypes over the course of disease. Such cells were detected in CSF from 13 consecutive patients with neuroborreliosis examined before treatment. IgG antibody-secreting cells were present in high numbers (mean, 32 cells per 10(4) CSF cells), whereas IgA and IgM antibody-secreting cells were found less frequently and at lower numbers (mean, 5 and 6 cells per 10(4) CSF cells, respectively). Clinical improvement after penicillin treatment was paralleled by a rapid decline of antibody-secreting cells in CSF, but they were still detected, although at lower numbers, in 5 of 10 patients examined more than 6 months after treatment. This specific B-cell response persisted despite clinical improvement. Whether it reflects persistence of antigen is unsettled.
Baig
S
S
Department of Neurology, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Olsson
T
T
Hansen
K
K
Link
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells / Q000276:immunology; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005407:Flagella / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007132:Immunoglobulin Isotypes / Q000276:immunology; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D010406:Penicillins / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007132:Immunoglobulin Isotypes; D010406:Penicillins