title: Achieving molecular diagnostics for Lyme disease.
abstract: Early Lyme disease is often difficult to diagnose. Left untreated, symptoms can last for many years leading to chronic health problems. Serological tests for the presence of antibodies that react to Borrelia burgdorferi antigens are generally used to support a clinical diagnosis. Due to the biologically delayed antibody response, serology is negative in many patients in the initial 3 weeks after infection and a single test cannot be used to demonstrate active disease, although certain specialized tests provide strong correlation. Because of these limitations there exists a need for better diagnostics for Lyme disease that can detect Borrelia genomic material at the onset of symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Ibis Biosciences Inc., an Abbott Company, 2251 Faraday Ave, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA.
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Eshoo
authors.forename: Steven E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Schutzer
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Crowder
authors.forename: Heather E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Carolan
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Ecker
mesh_terms: D001898:Borrelia / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000379:methods; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods