Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi
Guiqing Wang, Maria E. Aguero-Rosenfeld, Gary P. Wormser and Ira Schwartz
from: Borrelia: Molecular Biology, Host Interaction and Pathogenesis (Edited by: D. Scott Samuels and Justin D. Radolf). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2010)
Abstract
Numerous methods have been developed for detection of Borrelia burgdorferi in a variety of specimen sources. These can be broadly divided into direct and indirect approaches. B. burgdorferi can be visualized by microscopy, cultivated from numerous clinical and environmental specimens and detected by PCR-based modalities. These direct detection techniques are extensively used in experimental and epidemiological studies, but have not been widely employed as diagnostic approaches in the clinical setting. Immunological detection of B. burgdorferi by ELISA and immunoblot is currently the primary tool for laboratory diagnosis of Lyme disease in humans. Recent advances in serologic testing include the development of assays based on recombinant B. burgdorferi antigens or derived peptides, rather than sonicated whole cell lysates read more ...
