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Antibody response to OspC-I synthetic peptide derived from outer surface protein C of Borrelia burgdorferi in sera from Japanese forestry workers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 1999

M. IKUSHIMA ,
F. YAMADA ,
S. KAWAHASHI ,
Y. OKUYAMA  and
K. MATSUI
M. IKUSHIMA
Affiliation:
Division of Clinical Microbiology, Saitama Institute of Public Health, Saitama, Japan
F. YAMADA
Affiliation:
Division of Clinical Microbiology, Saitama Institute of Public Health, Saitama, Japan
S. KAWAHASHI
Affiliation:
Division of Clinical Microbiology, Saitama Institute of Public Health, Saitama, Japan
Y. OKUYAMA
Affiliation:
Department of Food and Nutrition, Kokusaigakuin Saitama Junior College, Saitama, Japan
K. MATSUI
Affiliation:
Department of Immunobiology, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, 2–522–1 Noshio, Kiyose, Tokyo 204–8588, Japan
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Abstract

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The prevalence of antibodies against Lyme disease spirochaetes in serum samples from 80 forestry workers at high occupational risk of Lyme disease was surveyed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with the OspC-I synthetic peptide. The peptide is part of the outer surface protein C (OspC) amino acid sequence located in the region conserved among Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto or sensu lato. Positivity for antibodies against OspC-I was observed in 25 (31·3%) of the forestry workers. Of these positive cases, 12 (15·0%) and 19 (23·8%) were positive for immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG antibody, respectively. Among 62 workers who were negative for IgG antibody against B. garinii or B. japonica in our previous study, 9 (14·5%) and 4 (6·5%) were positive for IgM and IgG antibody, respectively, in OspC-I ELISA. These results demonstrate for the first time that Lyme disease in forestry workers can be revealed using OspC-I ELISA. We conclude that forestry workers who show positive results for antibodies against OspC-I have very likely been exposed to Lyme disease spirochaetes, and that those who show positivity for IgM antibody against OspC-I may be in the early stage of Lyme disease.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 122 , Issue 3 , June 1999 , pp. 429 - 433
Copyright
© 1999 Cambridge University Press