Borreliaburgdorferi,abacteriumoftheSpirochaetaceae,istheethiologicagentofLymedisease(Borreliosis)beingthemostcommondiseaseinEuropeandtheUSAtransmittedbytics(Ixodessp.).Lymeborreliosisisamulti-systemicdiseasewithabroadspectrumofclinicalsymptoms.Atypicalsymptomoftheacutephaseistheerythemachronicummigrans(ECM),oftenaccompaniedbyflue-likesymptoms.Inlaterstagesofthediseasearthritis,carditis,aswellasneurologicalanddermatologicalmanifestationsmayoccur.
Lymeborreliosiscanbetreatedwithantibioticsinallstages.Therefore,asafeandsensitivelaboratorydiagnosisofLymeborreliosis,alsodetectingtheearlystageofdiseases,isofmajorimportance,sinceanearlytreatmentismostappreciated.
IgMantibodiesusuallyappearapproximatelythreeweeksaftertheinfection,IgGantibodiesafterfourtosixweeks.Theearlyimmunereactionismainlydirectedagainsttheflagellinpeptide(41kDa)andtheOspC(OutersurfaceproteinC,23kDa)andisthenspreadonmoreandmorebacterialproteins.UsuallytheacutephaseisindicatedbyhightitersofIgMantibodies.ElevatedIgGtiterswithloworwithoutIgMantibodiesmayoccurwhentheborreliosisissubsiding(duetotherapyorspontaneously)orduringthechronicstage.TheperformanceoftheBorreliaIgGELISAisimportantespeciallytodetectaborreliosisevenincasesshowingnegative14kDa+OspCtitersandtomonitortheimmunestatus.
TheBorreliaIgGELISAemploystheveryhighlyspecificrecombinantBorreliaburgdorferiVlsEantigenandahighlyspecificcrudelysateantigenblendfromBorreliaburgdorferisensustrictu,B.afzeliiandB.gariniiandthereforedeterminesIgGantibodieswithextremelyhighsensitivityandspecificity.