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Characteristics
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The kit is intended for a detection of IgM antibodies to the pathogenic borrelia strains (B.afzelii, B. garinii and B. burgdorferi sensu stricto) in human serum. The detection of antibodies is one of the laboratory tests that help to diagnose Lyme disease (LD). The diagnosis of LD is based on the combination of clinical examination and laboratory testing. Anti-borrelia IgM antibodies are detectable 3 weeks after infection with its maximum during the sixth week. Subsequently, the titre of IgM antibodies decreases and the IgG antibodies prevail. The detection of anti-borrelia antibodies is very important at the early stage of the disease since the typical symptoms are present only in a certain proportion of patients (e.g. erythema migrans is present in 50% of patients). The clinical symptoms of LD are similar to the symptoms in other diseases, therefore the serology is also of use in differential diagnosis of neuroinfections, arthropathies, carditis and skin diseases During the interpretation of the test results it has to be taken into account that the titres of antibodies at early stage of the disease is rather low and it can be influenced by administration of antibiotics. Seronegativity in a small percentage of patients and the crossreactivity of antibodies elevated due to the other diseases has to be considered. Therefore, it is necessary to compare the test results with clinical data (adapted from the text at the web page of the Czech National Reference Laboratory for Lyme disease).
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