[Use of western-immunoblotting to determine serum IgG-antibodies to antigens of different genotypes of Borrelia--Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia garinii].

The reaction of the sera from 86 patients with Lyme borreliosis was evaluated in the immunoblotting using three genotypes of pathogenic Borrelia strains. The Russian isolates of Borrelia afzelii (strain IP3) and B. garinii 20047T (strain IP90) were compared with the USA typical strain B31--B. burgdorferi sensu stricto. The results were assessed by the criteria recommended for the USA and developed for B. burgdorferi sensu stricto. Certain differences were shown in the reactions of serum IgG with major proteins of three Borrelia genotypes. The sera interacted with p37 of an I-90 isolate and with p39 of both Russian isolates significantly more frequently. The rate of positive results of a serum test using the strain B31 was 18.6% (16 patients); 13 patients were additionally identified when the Russian isolates were applied. It is expedient to use the genotypes circulating in Russia as an antigenic material for immunoblotting. Criteria for positive serum test results may be individual for each genotype of Borreliae.