title: Polymerase chain reaction amplification of culture supernatants for rapid detection of Borrelia burgdorferi.
abstract: A combination of culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was employed to detect Borrelia burgdorferi in in vitro cultures of skin biopsy specimens. Spirochetes were observed by microscopic examination in 56% (20/36) of the cultures from patients with erythema migrans who had not received prior antibiotic treatment. No growth of Borrelia burgdorferi was detected in control cultures or those from patients who had received antibiotics. PCR analysis of culture supernatants agreed with microscopic evaluation in 50/51 evaluable cultures tested (both positive and negative). At two weeks of incubation Borrelia burgdorferi could be detected by PCR in 19/20 cultures (95%) compared to 14/20 (70%) by visual inspection. This study indicates that a combined culture-PCR test for detection of Borrelia burgdorferi is more rapid and specific than culture alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla 10595.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bittker
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pavia
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Wormser
mesh_terms: D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015787:Erythema Chronicum Migrans / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity