Antibody levels to recombinant tick calreticulin increase in humans after exposure to Ixodes scapularis (Say) and are correlated with tick engorgement indices.
The antibody responses of subjects who presented with a definite Ixodes scapularis (Say) tick bite were measured to determine the utility of the antibody response against recombinant tick calreticulin (rTC) as a biologic marker of tick exposure. Subjects bitten by I. scapularis evidenced an increase in anti-rTC antibody levels between visit 1 and visit 2 from 24.3 to 27.1 ng/microl serum (n = 88, p = 0.003), and levels remained elevated at visit 3 (p = 0.005). These anti-rTC antibody levels during visits 2 and 3 were significantly higher than those in four non-exposed controls. Tick engorgement indices, measured on the biting ticks, were found to be correlated with anti-rTC antibody levels (e.g., for visit 3: Pearson's r = 0.357, p = 0.001). Tick engorgement index (TEI), ratio of body length to scutal width, was identified to be the only independent predictor of anti-rTC antibody levels in linear regression models. Logistic regression revealed that a bite from an I. scapularis tick that became engorged (TEI >3.4) was a risk factor for anti-rTC antibody seropositivity (adjusted odds ratio for age and bite location = 7.4 (95% confidence interval 2.1-26.4)). The anti-rTC antibody test had a sensitivity of 0.50 and a specificity of 0.86 for a bite from I. scapularis that became engorged. Immunoblotting revealed that subjects made a specific anti-rTC antibody response.
Sanders
M L
ML
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Division of Outbreak Investigation, Baltimore, USA.
Glass
G E
GE
Nadelman
R B
RB
Wormser
G P
GP
Scott
A L
AL
Raha
S
S
Ritchie
B C
BC
Jaworski
D C
DC
Schwartz
B S
BS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D037282:Calreticulin; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015787:Erythema Chronicum Migrans / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D018884:Ixodes / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D000906:Antibodies; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D037282:Calreticulin; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins