Evaluation of a Lyme disease enzyme immunoassay using the 41-G fragment of flagellin.
An immunogenic region of the Borrelia burgdorferi flagellin encompassing amino acids 197-273 and designated 41-G was evaluated as an antigen in an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for Lyme disease on a routine basis in a reference laboratory. Sera that tested positive for Lyme disease by EIA using 41-G or the whole-cell Borrelia burgdorferi lysate as the antigen were also evaluated by immunoblot for reactivity with Borrelia burgdorferi, and the patient's clinical history was determined retrospectively by a questionnaire distributed to the referring physician. The sensitivity of the 41-G based EIA for the serologic diagnosis of Lyme disease, when compared with that of the Borrelia burgdorferi lysate EIA, was 70% (35 of 50). These data demonstrate that 41-G has utility as an antigen in EIA, although the sensitivity is at present less than that of the assay employing the Borrelia burgdorferi whole-cell lysate.
Cretella
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Section of Rheumatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8031, USA.
Gordon
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Flavell
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RA
Fikrig
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E
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000276:immunology*; D005408:Flagellin / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology*; D012698:Serologic Tests
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D005408:Flagellin