Can ELISPOT Be Applied to A Clinical Setting as A Diagnostic Utility for Neuroborreliosis?
The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the diagnostic performance of Borrelia (Bb)-induced interferon (IFN)-γ secretion detected by ELISPOT modified to be feasible for clinical laboratories as a supplementary test to the laboratory diagnosis of Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) in an endemic setting. Between 2002 and 2004, patients with symptoms of suspected clinical LNB were included in a study conducted on the Åland islands in the Finnish archipelago, which is a hyper-endemic area for Lyme borreliosis (LB). Fourteen patients with confirmed LNB and 103 patients with non-LNB were included, and the numbers of spontaneous and Bb-induced IFN-γ-secreting cells were assayed by the ELISPOT test. The ELISPOT assay showed a weak diagnostic performance with a sensitivity of 36% and a specificity of 82%. The findings in this study show that this ELISPOT-assay modified to be feasible in clinical routine laboratories is not useful as a supplementary diagnostic tool in the laboratory diagnosis of patients with clinically suspected LNB.
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Infectious Medicine Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden. marika.karlsson@liu.se.
Marika
M
Nordberg
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Infectious Medicine Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden. pia.forsberg@liu.se.
Pia
P
Forsberg
The Åland Borrelia Group, Åland, 22100 Mariehamn, Åland, Finland. dag.nyman@aland.net.
Dag
D
Nyman
Center for Clinical Research (CKF) Dalarna, 791 36 Falun, Sweden. barbro.hedinskogman@ltdalarna.se.
Barbro H
BH
Skogman
The Åland Borrelia Group, Åland, 22100 Mariehamn, Åland, Finland. clara.nyberg@ahs.ax.
Clara
C
Nyberg
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Clinical Immunology, Linköping University, S-581 83 Linköping, Sweden. jan.ernerudh@lio.se.
Jan
J
Ernerudh
Department of Laboratory Medicine, NÄL, 461 85 Trollhättan, Sweden. ingvar.eliasson@vgregion.se.
Ingvar
I
Eliasson
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Clinical Immunology, Linköping University, S-581 83 Linköping, Sweden. christina.ekerfelt@liu.se.
Christina
C
Ekerfelt