Clinical Information

Lyme disease (LD) is caused by infection with a member of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, which includes B burgdorferi sensu stricto (herein referred to as B burgdorferi), Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia garinii. Among these species, B burgdorferi is the most frequent cause of LD in North America. These tick-borne spirochetes are transmitted to humans through the bite of Ixodes species ticks. Endemic areas for LD in the United States correspond with the distribution of 2 tick species, Ixodes scapularis (Northeastern and Upper Midwestern US) and Ixodes pacificus (West Coast US).

Transmission of LD-associated Borrelia requires at least 36 hours of tick attachment. Approximately 80% of infected individuals will develop a unique expanding skin lesion with a central zone of clearing, referred to as erythema migrans (EM; stage 1). In the absence of treatment, patients may progress to early disseminated disease (stage 2), which is characterized by neurologic manifestations (eg, meningitis, cranial neuropathy, radiculoneuropathy) and is often associated with B garinii infection. Patients with late LD often present with intermittent or persistent arthralgia, most often associated with B burgdorferi infection, or with acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans), typically due to infection with B afzelii.

Diagnosis of LD is currently based on either the standard or modified 2-tiered serologic testing algorithm (STTTA or MTTTA, respectively). For the STTTA, see LYME / Lyme Disease Serology, Serum.

The MTTTA starts with an initial enzyme immunoassay (EIA) screen for detection of total antibodies against the Borrelia Vlse/pepC10 proteins. Samples that screen positive or equivocal by this first tier EIA are subsequently reflexed for supplemental assessment using 2 separate EIAs for detection of IgM and IgG antibodies against B burgdorferi whole cell sonicate material.

Importantly, while serologic assessment for LD may be negative in the early weeks following infection, over 90% of patients with later stages of infection are seropositive by serology, which remains the diagnostic method of choice for this disease.