Activity of lysosomal exoglycosidases in the serum of patients with chronic Lyme arthritis.
To examine the role of lysosomal exoglycosidases in the pathogenesis of Lyme arthritis we studied a group of 18 patients aged 18-72 (mean: 46 yr) diagnosed with chronic arthritis in the course of borreliosis. The control group was composed of 20 healthy volunteers (health service employees) aged 25-65 (mean: 45 yr) with no detectable serum anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies. We found that N-acetyl-beta-d-hexosaminidase (HEX) was significantly increased and beta-galactosidase and alpha-mannosidase also showed an increase in Lyme arthritis patients compared to healthy persons and normalised after treatment with doxycycline. Our results suggest that HEX is a sensitive enzymatic marker of Lyme arthritis and it may be used to monitor the course of the disease and the efficiency of treatment.
Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of Białystok, Zurawia 14, PL-15540 Białystok, Poland. spancewicz@interia.pl
Slawomir A
SA
Pancewicz
Przemyslaw
P
Wielgat
Teresa
T
Hermanowska-Szpakowicz
Maciej
M
Kondrusik
Joanna
J
Zajkowska
Sambor
S
Grygorczuk
Janusz
J
Popko
Krzysztof
K
Zwierz
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology*; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000201:enzymology; D008875:Middle Aged; D043323:alpha-Mannosidase / Q000097:blood; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000097:blood; D001619:beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidases / Q000097:blood*
D001616:beta-Galactosidase; D043323:alpha-Mannosidase; D001619:beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidases