Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Section of Microbiology, University Hospital of Parma, Viale A. Gramsci 14, 43126-Parma, Italy.
Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2011 Aug;70(4):455-60. doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2010.09.007. Epub 2011 Mar 11.
Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a multisystemic disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex transmitted to humans by Ixodes ticks and whose epidemiology is poorly investigated in Europe. In this study an epidemiologic survey on the prevalence of the causative agent of such infectious disease was performed in the area of Parma (Northern Italy) during 2002-2008. Serum samples belonging to 2336 patients and cerebrospinal fluid samples (belonging to 42 of the same patients) were analyzed for serologic diagnosis of LB. Direct laboratory assays [polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and cultivation] were performed on samples belonging to patients with the clinical suspicion of LB. The seroprevalence was 0.55% considering the subjects with both anti-B. burgdorferi IgG and IgM. The samples tested by culture and PCR were all negative except for a tick removed from the skin of a healthy man. The results suggest that infection by B. burgdorferi in this area quite rarely occurs.
莱姆病（LB）是一种由伯氏疏螺旋体复合群引起的多系统疾病，通过硬蜱传播给人类，在欧洲，其流行病学尚未得到充分研究。本研究于 2002 年至 2008 年在意大利北部帕尔马地区开展了一项针对该传染病病原体的流行情况的流行病学调查。对 2336 名患者的血清样本和 42 名相同患者的脑脊液样本进行了莱姆病的血清学诊断分析。对临床疑似 LB 的患者的样本进行了直接实验室检测[聚合酶链反应（PCR）和培养]。考虑到同时具有抗伯氏疏螺旋体 IgG 和 IgM 的患者，血清流行率为 0.55%。除了从一名健康男子皮肤上取下的蜱外，培养和 PCR 检测的样本均为阴性。结果表明，该地区伯氏疏螺旋体感染相当罕见。
