title: Isolation and species typing of Lyme borreliosis spirochaetes from UK patients with erythema migrans.
abstract: Skin biopsies taken from UK cases of erythema migrans rash were cultured for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Reverse line blotting was used to type the infecting genospecies in PCR-positive cultures and biopsies. B. garinii or B. afzelii was identified in 56% (5/9) of biopsies/cultures tested. All patients were tested by conventional serology. PCR confirmed infection in two patients where serological testing failed to detect antibody.
authors.affiliation: Lyme Disease Reference Unit, Public Health Laboratory, Southampton General Hospital, UK. jnr@soton.ac.uk
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murdoch
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D001706:Biopsy; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015787:Erythema Chronicum Migrans / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013045:Species Specificity; D006113:United Kingdom