Evaluation of a lyme disease enzyme immunoassay using the 41-G fragment of flagellin

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Abstract
An immunogenic region of theBorrelia burgdorferi flagellin encompassing amino acids 197–273 and designated 41-G was evaluated as an antigen in an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for Lyme disease on a routine basis in a reference laboratory. Sera that tested positive for Lyme disease by EIA using 41-G or the whole-cellBorrelia burgdorferi lysate as the antigen were also evaluated by immunoblot for reactivity withBorrelia burgdorferi, and the patient's clinical history was determined retrospectively by a questionnaire distributed to the referring physician. The sensitivity of the 41-G based EIA for the serologic diagnosis of Lyme disease, when compared with that of theBorrelia burgdorferi lysate EIA, was 70 % (35 of 50). These data demonstrate that 41 -G has utility as an antigen in EIA, although the sensitivity is at present less than that of the assay employing theBorrelia burgdorferi whole-cell lysate.