Seroprevalence of anti-Borrelia antibodies among patients with confirmed sarcoidosis in a region of Japan where Lyme borreliosis is endemic.
BACKGROUND
Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology, while Lyme borreliosis is a multisystemic disorder caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between sarcoidosis and Lyme borreliosis in a region of Japan where Lyme borreliosis is endemic.


METHODS
We determined the seroprevalence of anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies as well as antibodies three Japanese Borrelia strains by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and dotblot assay using purified Borrelia-specific proteins in 46 patients with confirmed sarcoidosis and 150 controls (50 disease controls and 100 healthy controls) in Hokkaido, the affected region.


RESULTS
Fifteen patients with sarcoidosis (32.6%) tested positive for Borrelia spirochete in both assays, compared with two disease controls (4.0%) and two healthy controls (2.0%). The seroprevalence of anti-Borrelia antibodies in patients with sarcoidosis was much higher in the affected region than in the region in our previous study were Lyme borreliosis is non-endemic.


CONCLUSIONS
In a region where Lyme borreliosis is endemic, Borrelia infection may be partially associated with sarcoidosis.
Ishihara
M
M
Department of Ophthalmology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Japan.
Ohno
S
S
Ono
H
H
Isogai
E
E
Kimura
K
K
Isogai
H
H
Aoki
K
K
Ishida
T
T
Suzuki
K
K
Kotake
S
S
Hiraga
Y
Y
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015818:Eye Infections, Bacterial / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial