Utility ofBorrelia burgdorferisensu stricto C6 Peptide for Serologic Confirmation of Erythema-Free Ixodid Tick-Borne Borrelioses in Russia

Abstract

We evaluated the utility ofBorrelia burgdorferisensu stricto(Bb)peptide C6 for serologic confirmation of Ixodid Tick-Borne Borrelioses (ITBB) in Russia. Serum samples (N = 1089) were from erythema migrans (EM) (N = 327) and the EM-free (EMF) patients (N = 115); in some patients, the disease was accompanied by human granulocytic anaplasmosis or tick-borne encephalitis. The sera were investigated by multiplex phosphorescence analysis (PHOSPHAN) for IgM toBbC6, recombinant OspC and VlsE proteins, and IgG to C6 fromBb,B. garinii(Bg), andB. afzelii(Ba). Detection ofBbC6 IgM/IgG provided effective serologic confirmation of ITBB in both EM and EMF patients early after disease onset. In the EM-free patients, however, this test needed to be supplemented with detection of VlsE IgM in convalescent-phase sera due to delay in development of the antibody responses for C6 IgG. In general, positive PHOSPHAN reactions were observed in 81.9% and 86.7% of the EM and EMF patients, respectively, as well as in 59 of 65 (90.8%) patients, whose blood containedB. burgdorferisensu lato DNA. Additional detection of IgG toBgC6 orBaC6 had no significant contribution to serologic diagnosis of ITBB in both patient groups.