[Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in scleroderma circumscripta, lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, erythema nodosum, granuloma annulare, erythema annulare and chronic urticaria].
OBJECTIVE
The role of B. burgdorferi in the etiology of sclerodermia circumscripta (SC) and lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) are is reported in numerous, however controversial studies. The objective of our study is to approximate the solution of the given problem and to widen these consideration by other diagnoses with multifactorial and unclear etiology such as erythema nodosum (EN), granuloma anulare (GA), erythema anulare (EA) and urticaria chronica.


METHODS
124 probands were divided into groups according the diagnoses presented above and compared with the negative control group of 131 probands with dermatologic diagnoses, in which the etiologic agent of B. burgdorferi was not assumed and positive group of 55 probands with lyme boreliosis. Indirect immunofluorescent test was used to find out the tieter of antibodies against B. burgdorferi in all groups by using the endemic strains as antigens, which has caused a higher value of the so-called cut-off.


RESULTS
The negative control had a positive titer in 44 cases (n = 131, i.e. in 33.6%). The positive titer was found in 11 probands from the SC group (34.4% =, n = 32), 5 probands in LSA (71.4%, n = 7), 9 probands in the EN group (64.3%, n = 14), 6 probands in the EA and GA groups (42.3%, n = 14) and 19 probands in the group of urticaria chronica (33.3%, n = 57).


CONCLUSIONS
We assume that in the probands with high titers of antibodies, B. burgdorferi could play a role in the etiology of the given diseases titers of antibodies against B. burgdorferi. The draft problem could be solved by modern method including PCR with the use of several primers focused on different antigens regarding the certain epidemiologic regions. (Fig. 7, Ref. 17.)
1st Department of Dermatovenerology, School of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Buchvald
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000276:immunology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004890:Erythema / Q000382:microbiology; D004893:Erythema Nodosum / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D016460:Granuloma Annulare / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D018459:Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus / Q000382:microbiology; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012594:Scleroderma, Localized / Q000382:microbiology; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D014581:Urticaria / Q000382:microbiology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial