title: Diagnostic use of the lymphocyte transformation test-memory lymphocyte immunostimulation assay in confirming active Lyme borreliosis in clinically and serologically ambiguous cases.
abstract: The aim of this study was to carry out an independent evaluation of the proposition that the lymphocyte transformation test-memory lymphocyte immunostimulation assay (LTT-MELISA) may be diagnostically useful in the confirmation of active Lyme borreliosis in clinically and serologically ambiguous cases. Blood samples from 54 patients consecutively presenting to a British center with clinical suspicion of Lyme borreliosis were tested for this disease by immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) Western blots and by LTT-MELISA. Forty-five of these patients had Western blot results which were negative for both IgM and IgG by the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); of these patients, 19 (42%) were LTT-MELISA-positive. Two of the patients who had IgM positive results by the CDC criteria were LTT-MELISA-negative. It is concluded that, for putative European-acquired Lyme borreliosis infections, it would be sensible to carry out both the LTT-MELISA and Western blot assay.
authors: Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital London W12 0HS, UK.
authors: Basant K
authors: BK
authors: Puri
authors: Breakspear Medical Group Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 4FD, UK.
authors: Daniel Rm
authors: DR
authors: Segal
authors: Breakspear Medical Group Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 4FD, UK.
authors: Jean A
authors: JA
authors: Monro
keywords: Lyme borreliosis; MELISA; lymphocyte transformation test