DETECTION OF ANTIBODIES TO THE RECOMBINANT P39 PROTEIN OF BORRELIA-BURGDORFERI USING ENZYME-IMMUNOASSAY AND IMMUNOBLOTTING

The diagnostic value of serologic tests using the recombinant P39 prot ein of Borrelia burgdorferi was compared with that of tests prepared f rom a whole spirochete antigen source. Immunoassays (ELISA and Western blot) prepared from either the recombinant protein or whole spirochet es were evaluated using a test panel comprised of 2 sera groups, one o btained from patients with clinically diagnosed Lyme disease, the othe r from individuals with no indication of past or current infection wit h B. burgdorferi. Results obtained indicate that ELISA screening tests relying on the recombinant protein are less sensitive than ELISA test s using whole spirochete antigen preparations. Western blot tests base d on the P39 protein were more specific than P39 ELISA yielding no fal se positive or indeterminate results. These findings suggest that the P39 protein may prove valuable for confirmation testing for Lyme disea se.