title: Effects of bovine serum albumin on the ability of Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly medium to detect Borrelia burgdorferi.
abstract: The ability of decreasing inocula of Borrelia burgdorferi to grow in otherwise identical Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly (BSK) media containing different lots of bovine serum albumin (fraction V) was determined. These media differed significantly in ability to detect B. burgdorferi. Some BSK media required inocula of 2 x 10(5) organisms per ml for detection, while other media could stimulate growth after inoculation with less than 2 organisms per ml. In addition, organisms from the less sensitive BSK media were thinner, longer, and less tightly coiled. The endpoint dilutions of indirect fluorescent-antibody titers, especially immunoglobulin M, exhibited up to 16-fold decreases, and both immunoglobulin G and M titers were more difficult to interpret with diagnostic slides prepared from some longer, thinner B. burgdorferi. These results demonstrate that, when performing laboratory investigations which rely on B. burgdorferi, it is essential that the quality of the BSK medium be determined.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Research Laboratory, Gundersen Medical Foundation, La Crosse, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Callister
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Case
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Agger
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Schell
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ellingson
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003470:Culture Media; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D003470:Culture Media; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine