title: Three-year study of antibody to Borrelia burgdorferi in southern Spain.
abstract: The prevalence of anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies was studied in Granada, Spain, between January 1991 and November 1993 in 354 patients with suspected Lyme disease (group 1); in 50 patients either with syphilis (n = 32) or without syphilis but with a positive Rapid Plasma Reagin test (n = 18) (group 2); and in 150 healthy subjects (group 3). In addition, intrathecal antibody production was evaluated by EIA in CSF samples obtained from 117 patients in group 1. Anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies were detected by EIA in 58 patients (16.4%) in group 1, 29 (8.2%) of whom were positive by Western blot. Intrathecal antibody production was detected in one patient. In group 2, 8 (16%) patients had a positive EIA result, but none of these was confirmed by Western blot. western blot was negative for all subjects in group 3. The results of this study indicate that anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies are not uncommon in our area, although Lyme disease is rare.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University Hospital San Cecilio, University of Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Maroto
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De la Higuera
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guerrero
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Padilla
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piédrola
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D015153:Blotting, Western; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D015995:Prevalence; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013587:Syphilis / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M