AUTHOR=Delaney Shannon L. , Murray Lilly A. , Aasen Claire E. , Bennett Clair E. , Brown Ellen , Fallon Brian A. 

TITLE=Borrelia miyamotoi Serology in a Clinical Population With Persistent Symptoms and Suspected Tick-Borne Illness

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2020.567350

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2020.567350

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<p>Eighty-two patients seeking consultation for long-term sequalae after suspected tick-borne illness were consecutively tested for <italic>Borrelia miyamotoi</italic> antibodies using a recombinant glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (GlpQ) enzyme immunoassay. Twenty-one of the 82 patients (26%) tested positive on the GlpQ IgG ELISA. Nearly all of the patients (98%) had no prior <italic>B. miyamotoi</italic> testing, indicating that clinicians rarely test for this emerging tick-borne pathogen. Compared to patients who solely tested positive for Lyme disease antibodies, patients with <italic>B. miyamotoi</italic> antibodies presented with significantly more sleepiness and pain. A prospective study is needed to ascertain the relationship between the presence of <italic>B. miyamotoi</italic> antibodies and persistent symptoms.</p>