Wagner Bettina, Freer Heather, Rollins Alicia, Garcia-Tapia David, Erb Hollis N, Earnhart Christopher, Marconi Richard, Meeus Patrick
Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2012 Apr;19(4):527-35. doi: 10.1128/CVI.05653-11. Epub 2012 Feb 15.
Lyme disease in the United States is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, which is transmitted to mammals by infected ticks. Borrelia spirochetes differentially express immunogenic outer surface proteins (Osp). Our aim was to evaluate antibody responses to Osp antigens to aid the diagnosis of early infection and the management of Lyme disease. We analyzed antibody responses during the first 3 months after the experimental infection of dogs using a novel multiplex assay. Results were compared to those obtained with two commercial assays detecting C6 antigen. Multiplex analysis identified antibodies to OspC and C6 as early as 3 weeks postinfection (p.i.) and those to OspF by 5 weeks p.i. Antibodies to C6 and OspF increased throughout the study, while antibodies to OspC peaked between 7 and 11 weeks p.i. and declined thereafter. A short-term antibody response to OspA was observed in 3/8 experimentally infected dogs on day 21 p.i. Quant C6 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results matched multiplex results during the first 7 weeks p.i.; however, antibody levels subsequently declined by up to 29%. Immune responses then were analyzed in sera from 125 client-owned dogs and revealed high agreement between antibodies to OspF and C6 as robust markers for infection. Results from canine patient sera supported that OspC is an early infection marker and antibodies to OspC decline over time. The onset and decline of antibody responses to B. burgdorferi Osp antigens and C6 reflect their differential expression during infection. They provide valuable tools to determine the stage of infection, treatment outcomes, and vaccination status in dogs.
美国的莱姆病由狭义伯氏疏螺旋体引起，该病原体通过受感染的蜱虫传播给哺乳动物。伯氏疏螺旋体差异表达免疫原性外膜蛋白（Osp）。我们的目的是评估对Osp抗原的抗体反应，以辅助早期感染的诊断和莱姆病的管理。我们使用一种新型多重检测法分析了犬实验感染后头3个月内的抗体反应。将结果与两种检测C6抗原的商业检测法所获结果进行比较。多重分析最早在感染后3周（p.i.）就鉴定出了针对OspC和C6的抗体，到感染后5周鉴定出了针对OspF的抗体。在整个研究过程中，针对C6和OspF的抗体增加，而针对OspC的抗体在感染后7至11周达到峰值，此后下降。在3/8只实验感染犬中，在感染后第21天观察到对OspA的短期抗体反应。定量C6酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）结果在感染后前7周与多重检测结果相符；然而，抗体水平随后下降了高达29%。然后分析了125只客户拥有犬的血清中的免疫反应，结果显示针对OspF和C6的抗体作为感染的有力标志物具有高度一致性。犬患者血清的结果支持OspC是早期感染标志物，且针对OspC的抗体随时间下降。针对伯氏疏螺旋体Osp抗原和C6的抗体反应的起始和下降反映了它们在感染期间的差异表达。它们为确定犬的感染阶段、治疗结果和疫苗接种状态提供了有价值的工具。
