An Enhanced ELISPOT Assay for Sensitive Detection of Antigen-Specific T Cell Responses to Borrelia burgdorferi.
Lyme Borreliosis is an infectious disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi that is transmitted through the bite of infected ticks. Both B cell-mediated humoral immunity and T cell immunity develop during natural Borrelia infection. However, compared with humoral immunity, the T cell response to Borrelia infection has not been well elucidated. In this study, a novel T cell-based assay was developed and validated for the sensitive detection of antigen-specific T cell response to B. burgdorferi. Using interferon-g as a biomarker, we developed a new enzyme-linked immunospot method (iSpot Lyme™) to detect Borrelia antigen-specific effector/memory T cells that were activated in vivo by exposing them to recombinant Borrelia antigens ex vivo. To test this new method as a potential laboratory diagnostic tool, we performed a clinical study with a cohort of Borrelia positive patients and healthy controls. We demonstrated that the iSpot Lyme assay has a significantly higher specificity and sensitivity compared with the Western Blot assay that is currently used as a diagnostic measure. A comprehensive evaluation of the T cell response to Borrelia infection should, therefore, provide new insights into the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of Lyme disease.
Department of Immunology, Pharmasan Labs, Inc., Osceola, WI 54020, USA. chenggang.jin@pharmasan.com.
Chenggang
C
Jin
Department of Immunology, Pharmasan Labs, Inc., Osceola, WI 54020, USA. diana.roen@pharmasan.com.
Diana R
DR
Roen
Cellular Technology Limited, Shaker Heights, OH 44122, USA. paul.lehmann@immunospot.com.
Paul V
PV
Lehmann
NeuroScience, Inc., Osceola, WI 54020, USA. gottfried.kellermann@neurorelief.com.
Gottfried H
GH
Kellermann