Assessment of the frequency of IgM and IgG antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in the serum of inhabitants the Poprad Landscape Park in southern Poland.

Abstract

Introduction and objective: Borreliosis, also known as Lyme disease, is a chronic, multi-organ illness that is very difficult to diagnose. It is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and transmitted to humans as a consequence of being bitten by a tick, mostly of the Ixodes genus, infected with the pathogen. The aim of the study is to assess the frequency of B. burgdorferi s.l. infections among a randomly selected human population living in the Poprad Landscape Park in southern Poland.

Material and methods: Serum for the study was obtained from 99 randomly selected patients who reported for routine testing at the medical diagnostic laboratory in Krynica-Zdrój. The presence of IgM and IgG antibodies against B. burgdorferi s.l. spirochetes in the sera were defined using the ELISA method. Western Blot test verified positive and doubtful results.

Results: In total, positive or borderline results for at least one class of anti-Borrelia antibodies were found in 22.2% of human sera. Only in two samples were the positive results in anti-Borrelia IgM and IgG shown. Antibodies against the spirochete B. burgdorferi s.l. were detected both in people who had found a tick on their body, and in people who claimed they never had.

Conclusions: Studies have shown a high percentage of people with antibodies against detected B. burgdorferi s.l.. This may indicate frequent bites of the inhabitants of the Poprad Landscape Park by ticks, during which transmission of the B. burgdorferi s.l. spirochete occurs.