Novel biomarkers of Lyme Borreliosis

Study Objective

With 65000-85000 cases reported per year Lyme Borreliosis (LB) is the most common tick-borne disease in Europe. In Luxembourg an antibody prevalence of 38% in professional high risk groups such as foresters, forestry workers and hunters was detected. Currently diagnosis can be complicated by the lack of reliable diagnostic laboratory methods, the diversity of uncharacteristic symptoms and a limited understanding of the biology of the disease. The three main goals of this project are to find novel biomarkers of the disease, to provide prevalence and incidence data on Borrelia infections in Luxembourg and to improve the understanding of the interactions between B. burgdorferi s.l., I. ricinus and the human host.

Participation conditions

Inclusion criteria:

• Signed informed consent
• Individuals being at high risk of encountering a tick bite (>5 tick bites per year)
• Clear cases of an active Lyme Borreliosis infection that were recently diagnosed by a doctor (best before therapy)
• Lyme Borreliosis cases where an active infection is suspected (best before therapy)
• Individuals encountering a tick bite

Exclusion criteria:

• Children <5years or/and <20kg
• Donors with current or past diagnosis of autoimmune disease or cancer
• Donors suffering from major chronic diseases or multimorbid patients
• Immunosuppressed patients
• Patients from whom it is not possible to obtain more than 20 ml of blood
• Infectious patient (fever above 38°C during the last 4 weeks)
• Person with a known addiction to alcohol or drugs

Department of Immunology, CRP-Santé / LNS
Centre d’Investigation et d’Épidémiologie Clinique (CIEC), CRP-Santé
Laboratoires Réunis