Background. The causes of post-Lyme disease symptoms are unclear. Herein, we investigated whether specific immune responses were correlated with such symptoms. Methods. The levels of 23 cytokines and chemokines, representative of innate and adaptive immune responses, were assessed in sera from 86 antibiotic-treated European patients with erythema migrans, 45 with post-Lyme symptoms and 41 without symptoms, who were evaluated prior to treatment and 2, 6, and 12 months thereafter. Results. At study entry, significant differences between groups were observed for the type 1 helper T cell (TH1) associated chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10, which were associated with negative Borrelia cultures, and the type 17 helper T cell (TH17) associated cytokine interleukin 23 (IL-23), which was associated with positive cultures and the development of post-Lyme symptoms (P = .02). Moreover, of the 41 patients with detectable IL-23 levels, 25 (61%) developed post-Lyme symptoms, and all 7 with IL-23 levels )230 ng/mL had such symptoms. Furthermore, antibody responses to the ECGF autoantigen were more common in patients with post-Lyme symptoms (P = .07) and were correlated directly with IL-23 levels (P = .02). Despite the presence of post-Lyme symptoms, all posttreatment culture results were negative, antiborrelial antibody responses declined, and there were no objective signs of disseminated disease, suggesting that spirochetal eradication had occurred with treatment in all patients. Conclusions. High TH1-associated responses correlated with more effective immune-mediated spirochetal killing, whereas high TH17-associated immune responses, often accompanied by autoantibodies, correlated with post-Lyme symptoms, providing a new paradigm for the study of postinfectious symptoms in a subset of patients with Lyme disease.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1184172
Background. Physicians in the United States sometimes need to evaluate a patient for suspected Lyme borreliosis (LB) who may have acquired the infection in Europe. Using serum samples from European LB patients, we compared the performance of European and US serodiagnostic tests, including newer-generation assays containing Vmp-like sequence, expressed or its C6 peptide. Methods. The sensitivity of each assay was determined using 64 serum samples from LB patients with early or late disease manifestations who acquired the infection in Europe. Specificity was measured using 100 sera from healthy subjects from a nonendemic area. Results. For the detection of European-acquired infection, conventional 2-tiered testing (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] followed by immunoblotting) using US assays had an overall sensitivity and specificity of 52% and 100%, compared with 81% (P = .0007) and 99% (P = 1.00) using analogous European tests. The sensitivity of a US C6 ELISA used as a stand-alone test (88% overall) was statistically comparable to that of conventional 2-tiered testing using European tests (P = .47) and was 100% specific. Similarly, an alternative 2-tiered algorithm using a standard US ELISA followed by a C6 ELISA was comparably sensitive (84% overall) compared with conventional 2-tiered testing using European assays (P = .82), and specificity remained 100%. Conclusions. European assays outperformed analogous US assays in a conventional 2-tiered testing algorithm. However, a C6 ELISA used as a stand-alone test or in the second tierof a 2-tiered algorithm performed comparably to conventional 2-tiered testing using European assays, and can be used for evaluation of any patient, regardless of travel history. Comment: The article was accompanied by the editorial comment.
COBISS.SI-ID: 835756
Background. To obtain data on patients with erythema migrans (EM) who have symptoms/signs suggesting nervous system involvement, and to compare epidemiologic, clinical and microbiologic findings in patients with and without cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis. Methods. Adult patients with EM and suspected early Lyme neuroborreliosis were included in this study. Results. Of 161 patients, 31 (19%) had elevated and 130 (81%) had normal CSF cell counts. In contrast to patients with normal CSF cell counts, those with pleocytosis: i) more often reported radicular pain and more often presented with meningeal signs but less frequently complained of malaise; ii) had larger EM skin lesions in spite of similar duration; iii) more commonly had B. garinii isolated from EM skin lesions (odds ratio for pleocytosis was 31 times higher in patients with established B. garinii skin infection in comparison to patients with other Borrelia species isolated from their EM skin lesion) and from CSF; and iiii) more frequently fulfilled microbiologic criteria for established borrelial infection of the central nervous system. The positive predictive value of pleocytosis for microbiologically proven borrelial infection of the central nervous system (defined by isolation of Borrelia from CSF and/or demonstration of intrathecal synthesis of borrelial antibodies) was 67.9%, whereas normal CSF white cell counts ruled out Lyme neuroborreliosis with a predictive value of 91.9%. Conclusions. Comparison of European patients with EM who had symptoms/signs suggesting early Lyme neuroborreliosis revealed several differences in the clinical presentation and in microbiologic test results according to CSF findings. Comment: The article was accompanied by the editorial comment.
COBISS.SI-ID: 30604249
Background. The efficacy of 10-day doxycycline treatment in patients with erythema migrans has been assessed in the United States but not in Europe. Experts disagree on the significance of post-Lyme borreliosis symptoms. Methods. In a noninferiority trial, the efficacies of 10 days and 15 days of oral doxycycline therapy were evaluated in adult European patients with erythema migrans. The prevalence of nonspecific symptoms was compared between patients with erythema migrans and 81 control subjects without a history of Lyme borreliosis. The efficacy of treatment, determined on the basis of clinical observations and microbiologic tests, was assessed at 14 days and at 2, 6, and 12 months. Nonspecific symptoms in patients and controls were compared at 6 months after enrollment. Results. A total of 117 patients (52%) were treated with doxycycline for 15 days, and 108 (48%) received doxycycline for 10 days. Twelve months after enrollment, 85 of 91 patients (93.4%) in the 15-day group and 79 of 86 (91.9%) in the 10-day group had complete response (difference, 1.6 percentage points; upper limit of the 95% confidence interval, 9.1 percentage points). At 6 months, the frequency of nonspecific symptoms in the patients was similar to that among controls. Conclusions. The 10-day regimen of oral doxycycline was not inferior to the 15-day regimen among adult European patients with solitary erythema migrans. Six months after treatment, the frequency of nonspecific symptoms among erythema migrans patients was similar to that among control subjects.
COBISS.SI-ID: 298668
Lyme borreliosis (Lyme disease) is caused by spirochaetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species complex, which are transmitted by ticks. The most common clinical manifestation is erythema migrans, which eventually resolves, even without antibiotic treatment. However, the infecting pathogen can spread to other tissues and organs, causing more severe manifestations that can involve a patient's skin, nervous system, joints, or heart. The incidence of this disease is increasing in many countries. Laboratory evidence of infection, mainly serology, is essential for diagnosis, except in the case of typical erythema migrans. Diagnosed cases are usually treated with antibiotics for 2-4 weeks and most patients make an uneventful recovery. No convincing evidence exists to support the use of antibiotics for longer than 4 weeks, or for the persistence of spirochaetes in adequately treated patients. Prevention is mainly accomplished by protecting against tick bites. There is no vaccine available for human beings.
COBISS.SI-ID: 28808153