title: Antigenic conservation of an immunodominant invariable region of the VlsE lipoprotein among European pathogenic genospecies of Borrelia burgdorferi SL.
abstract: Lyme disease is caused by genetically divergent spirochetes, including 3 pathogenic genospecies: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. garinii, and B. afzelii. Serodiagnosis is complicated by this genetic diversity. A synthetic peptide (C(6)), based on the 26-mer invariable region (IR(6)) of the variable surface antigen of B. burgdorferi (VlsE), was used as ELISA antigen, to test serum samples collected from mice experimentally infected with the 3 genospecies and from European patients with Lyme disease. Regardless of the infecting strains, mice produced a strong antibody response to C(6), which indicates that IR(6) is antigenically conserved among the pathogenic genospecies. Twenty of 23 patients with culture-confirmed erythema migrans had a detectable antibody response to C(6). A sensitivity of 95.2% was achieved, with serum samples collected from patients with well-defined acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans. Fourteen of 20 patients with symptoms of late Lyme disease also had a positive anti-IR(6) ELISA. Thus, it is possible that C(6) may be used to serodiagnose Lyme disease universally.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Tulane Regional Primate Research Center, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, Covington, Louisiana, USA.
authors.forename: F T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aberer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cinco
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gern
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Y N
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Lobet
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruscio
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Voet
authors.forename: V E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Weynants
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Philipp
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008074:Lipoproteins; C105546:VlsE protein, Borrelia burgdorferi