NYMC Faculty Publications
Borrelia Miyamotoi Sensu Lato Seroreactivity and Seroprevalence in the Northeastern United States
Author Type(s)
Faculty
DOI
10.3201/eid2007.131587
Journal Title
Emerging Infectious Diseases
First Page
1183
Last Page
1190
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-1-2014
Department
Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Second Department
Pharmacology
Keywords
Antibodies, Bacterial, Borrelia, Borrelia Infections, Female, Humans, Immunoglobulin G, Lyme Disease, Male, Middle Aged, New England, Seroepidemiologic Studies
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
Borrelia miyamotoi sensu lato, a relapsing fever Borrelia sp., is transmitted by the same ticks that transmit B. burgdorferi (the Lyme disease pathogen) and occurs in all Lyme disease-endemic areas of the United States. To determine the seroprevalence of IgG against B. miyamotoi sensu lato in the northeastern United States and assess whether serum from B. miyamotoi sensu lato-infected persons is reactive to B. burgdorferi antigens, we tested archived serum samples from area residents during 1991-2012. Of 639 samples from healthy persons, 25 were positive for B. miyamotoi sensu lato and 60 for B. burgdorferi. Samples from ≈10% of B. miyamotoi sensu lato-seropositive persons without a recent history of Lyme disease were seropositive for B. burgdorferi. Our results suggest that human B. miyamotoi sensu lato infection may be common in southern New England and that B. burgdorferi antibody testing is not an effective surrogate for detecting B. miyamotoi sensu lato infection.
Recommended Citation
Krause, P. J., Narasimhan, S., Wormser, G., Barbour, A. G., Platonov, A. E., Brancato, J., Lepore, T., Dardick, K., Mamula, M., Rollend, L., Steeves, T. K., Diuk-Wasser, M., Usmani-Brown, S., Williamson, P., Sarksyan, D. S., Fikrig, E., & Fish, D. (2014). Borrelia Miyamotoi Sensu Lato Seroreactivity and Seroprevalence in the Northeastern United States. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 20 (7), 1183-1190. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2007.131587
