Seroprevalencia de Borreliosis, o Enfermedad de Lyme, en una Población Rural Expuesta de Córdoba, Colombia / Seroprevalence of Lyme borreliosis in workers from Cordoba, Colombia

Objetivo El objetivo de este estudio fue el de establecer la seroprevalencia de enfermedad de Lyme en trabajadores del agro. Material y métodos La población la constituyeron 152 sujetos de los municipios de Montería, Cereté, Lorica y Cotorra, del Departamento de Córdoba, Colombia. La presencia de anticuerpos IgG específicos anti-Borrelia burgdorferi se estableció por ELISA y confirmados por Western blot. RPR (rapid plasma reagin) para Treponema pallidum (sífilis) y ELISA para leptospirosis IgM se utilizo para descartar reacciones cruzadas. Resultados Por ELISA se detectaron 30 (20 por ciento) sueros con anticuerpos IgG para Borrelia. Los 30 sueros fueron RPR negativos. Por Western Blot se escogieron al azar 25 sueros positivos, siete se confirmaron como positivos para Borrelia burgdorferi, seroprevalencia del 4,6 por ciento. Conclusión La seroprevalencia sugiere infección por B. burgdorferi en la población estudiada. Se deben realizar futuros estudios clínicos, serológicos y sobre todo ecológicos que determinen la presencia de Borrelia burgdorferi en las garrapatas de nuestras regiónes.

Objective Establishing the seroprevalence of Lyme disease in workers from Cordoba. Material and methods Representative serum samples (152) were taken from the cities of Montería, Cereté, Lorica and Cotorra in the Córdoba department in Colombia. Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies were detected by ELISA and confirmed by western blot anti-Borrelia blot assay. RPR (rapid plasma regain) test for Treponema pallidum (syphilis) and ELISA for leptospirosis IgM were carried out to discard cross-reactivity. Results A total of 152 serum samples were tested; 30 (20 percent) were positive by ELISA. The 30 positive sera were RPR negative. Seven sera were confirmed by western blot; seroprevalence was 4.6 percent. Reactivity against p41, p58, p75, OspA, p30, OspC, p17, VLsE and p83/100 were detected. Conclusions Our results revealed antigenic evidence of Borrelia in the rural area of Cordoba. Identifying clinical, ecological and serological cases, linked to searching for Borrelia burgdorferi in infected tick vectors must be carried out in rural parts of Colombia.

Características clínico-epidemiológicas da doença Lyme-símile em crianças / Epidemiological characteristics of Lyme-like disease in children

OBJETIVO: Determinar a prevalência, distribuição etária, sazonalidade, características clínicas da doença Lyme-símile em menores de 15 anos. MÉTODOS: De julho/1998 a dezembro/2000 foi conduzido um estudo transversal em 333 pacientes, com exantema e febre. Foram coletadas amostras pareadas de sangue para a identificação de patógenos. Somente em 193 amostras, negativas aos outros patógenos (Parvovirus B19, Herpesvírus 6 humano, Sarampo, Rubéola, Dengue, Escarlatina e Enterovírus), foram realizadas a pesquisa da borreliose pelos métodos de Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay e Western-blotting. Outras variáveis clínicas, socioeconômicas, demográficas e climáticas foram estudadas. RESULTADOS: A prevalência da doença foi de 6,2 por cento(12/193). Das variáveis estudadas, houve predomínio em <6anos(83,2 por cento); sexo feminino (66,7 por cento); procedência da cidade de Franco da Rocha (58,3 por cento); com sazonalidade no outono-verão. O intervalo de atendimento foi de quatro dias. Sinais e sintomas com significância estatística: prurido, ausência da fissura labial e bom estado clínico. Outros dados presentes foram: irritabilidade (80 por cento); febre (?38ºC) (58,3 por cento) com duração de um a três dias. O exantema foi do tipo máculo-papular (33,3 por cento), urticariforme (25 por cento) e escarlatiniforme (16,7 por cento); predominando em tronco (60 por cento). Não houve apresentação clínica característica para diagnóstico da doença de Lyme-símile nestes pacientes. A sensibilidade e especificidade para o diagnóstico clínico contraposta com o diagnóstico laboratorial foi zero. O acompanhamento de 10 casos durante dois anos não evidenciou complicações cardiológicas ou neurológicas. Este é o primeiro estudo desta doença em crianças brasileiras. CONCLUSÃO: A prevalência da doença Lyme-símile foi baixa, não tendo sido lembrada no diagnóstico inicial dos exantemas, mas seu conhecimento é necessário, necessitando maior atenção médica.

BACKGROUND: To determine the prevalence, age distribution, seasonality and clinical characteristics of Lyme-simile disease in Brazilians less than 15 years of age. METHODS. From July, 1998 to November, 2000, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 333 patients with skin rash and fever. Paired blood samples were collected for identification of the pathogens. Only 193 samples which were negative for other pathogens (Parvovirus B19 Human, Herpesvirus 6 Human, Measles, Rubella, Dengue, Scarlet fever and Enterovirus), were tested for borreliosis by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and Western-blotting. Other clinical, socioeconomic, demographic and climatic variables were studied. RESULTS: Prevalence of the disease was 6.2 percent(12/193). Of the variables studied, there was predominance in: <6 years old (83.2 percent); females (66.7 percent); being from the city of Franco da Rocha (58.3 percent); and a summer/fall seasonality. The duration of care was 4 days. Signs and symptoms with statistical significance were itching; absence of lip notch and ocular pain; irritability and good clinical condition. Other clinical data presented were: pruritus (90 percent), irritability (80 percent) and fever (?38ºC) (58.3 percent) with a duration of 1 to 3 days. Erythema was maculo-papular (40 percent), urticaria-like (25 percent) and scarlatiniform (16.7 percent), occurring predominately on the trunk (60 percent). There were no primary clinical evidences of Lyme-simile disease in the patients under study. The sensitivity and specificity of the clinical diagnosis as opposed to the laboratory diagnosis was zero. There was no initial clinical suspicion of the disease in the 10 cases studied and followed up for two years that showed no evidence of cardiologic or neurological complications. This is the first study of Lyme-simile in Brazilian children. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of Lyme-simile disease was low, and it was not remembered at the initial diagnosis ...

Estudio seroepidemiológico de borreliosis de Lyme en la Ciudad de México y el noreste de la República Mexicana / Seroepidemiologic survey of Lyme Borreliosis in Mexico City and the Northeast region of the country

OBJETIVO: Investigar mediante métodos serológicos la infección por B burgdorferi en individuos del Distrito Federal y la zona noreste de México. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se obtuvo una muestra representativa de sueros del Distrito Federal y la zona noreste de México, obtenidas en la Encuesta Seroepidemiológica Nacional de 1987-1988. Se detectaron anticuerpos IgG vs B burgdorferi por ELISA, confirmados con Western blot. En este trabajo se utilizó estadística descriptiva. RESULTADOS: Fueron estudiados 2 346 sueros; 297 (12.6 por ciento) fueron positivos por inmunoensayo enzimático, y 122/297 fueron confirmados por Western blot. La seroprevalencia fue de 3.43 por ciento en el Distrito Federal y 6.2 por ciento en la zona noreste del país. Tamaulipas fue el estado con la seroprevalencia más alta. CONCLUSIONES: La prevalencia de casos seropositivos sugieren que la infección por B burgdorferi ocurre en el noreste de México y el Distrito Federal. Es necesario identificar casos clínicos y buscar el vector infectado para confirmar la presencia de la enfermedad de Lyme en México

Borrelia burgdorferi (strain B. afzelii) antibodies among Malaysian blood donors and patients.

In this study, the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi (strain B. afzelii) among Malaysian blood donors and patients admitted to hospital with various infectious diseases was determined. Sera were screened using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); positive sera were then subjected to Western blot testing. All but one of the blood donors were negative for borrelial antibodies. Of 121 patients' sera, IgM antibodies were detected in 24 (19.8%) and IgG antibodies were detected in 5 (4.1%) sera. Only one of two patients with skin manifestations suggestive of Lyme disease had IgM antibody against B. afzelii. Of 30 patients with exposure to tick typhus, 4 (13.3%) were IgM positive and 1 (3.3%) was IgG positive. Based on the detection of antigenic bands by Western blot, 6 patients' sera showed positive reactions. Antigenic bands of p39, p41 and p59/62 kDa were the commonest findings of Western blotting. This study provides serological evidence of B. afzelii infections in Malaysia; further investigation is needed to correlate serological and clinical findings.

Positive IgG Western Blot for Borrelia burgdorferi in Colombia

In order to evaluate the presence of specific IgG antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in patients with clinical manifestations associated with Lyme borreliosis in Cali, Colombia, 20 serum samples from patients with dermatologic signs, one cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample from a patient with chronic neurologic and arthritic manifestations, and twelve serum samples from individuals without clinical signs associated with Lyme borreliosis were analyzed by IgG Western blot. The results were interpreted following the recommendations of the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) for IgG Western blots. Four samples fulfilled the CDC criteria: two serum specimens from patients with morphea (localized scleroderma), the CSF from the patient with neurologic and arthritic manifestations, and one of the controls. Interpretation of positive serology for Lyme disease in non-endemic countries must be cautious. However these results suggest that the putative "Lyme-like" disease may correlate with positivity on Western blots, thus raising the possibility that a spirochete genospecies distinct from B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, or a Borrelia species other than B. burgdorferi sensu lato is the causative agent. Future work will focus on a survey of the local tick and rodent population for evidence of spirochete species that could be incriminated as the etiologic agent

Enfermedad de lyme: reporte de un caso / Lyme disease: report of a case

La Borreliosis de Lyme es una enfermedad infecto contagiosa causada por una espiroqueta Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitida por una garrapata del género Ixodes. La enfermedad descrita por primera vez en la década del 70 en Connecticut EE.UU, se presentan en estadios, el primer signo puede ser la aparición de lesiones cutáneas típicas del Eritema Crónico Migratorio que se caracteriza por lesiones eritematosas anulares que tienden a confluir acompañado de sintomatología multisistémica. El siguiente caso se basa en la revisión de la historia clínica de una lactante mayor procedente del medio rural (Palmira-Estado Táchira), quien presentó Eritema Crónico Migratorio, hipertemia, anorexia y adenopatías posterior a la picadura de garrapata del género Ixoides (Amblyioma americanum), realizandose serología para Borrelia burgdorferi, con el fin de determinar la existencia de la enfermedad de Lyme en Venezuela

Perfil da borreliose de Lyme no Brasil / Outline of Lyme borreliosis in Brazil

A partir de 1989, identificamos 25 pacientes com doenca de Lyme no Brasil, dos quais 15 no estagio agudo e dez na fase latente, que permitiram reforcar sua existencia, pelos seguintes motivos: 1) existencia de um perfil clinico, caracterizado por manifestacoes cutanea, gerais, articulares e raramente cardiacas; 2) demonstracao sorologica de anticorpos anti-Borrelia burgdorferi; 3) modificacao sorologica evolutiva dos casos agudos; 4) resposta boa aos antibioticos no estagio agudo e apenas satisfatoria dos casos latentes; 5) distribuicao geografica da casuistica permitiu o mapeamento das areas de risco; 6) identificacao de carrapatos Ixodideos; 7) visualizacao de microorganismos a microscopia de campo escuro, que lembram borrelias, em culturas de humanos, animais silvestres e carrapatos; 8) comprovacao da existencia de areas endemicas para borreliose de Lyme pela sorologia em caninos e bovinos