Eurofins Biomnis code

BORBM

Synonyms

• Lyme
• Lyme disease
• Borrelia
• burgdorferi

Clinic significance

Lyme borreliosis is a bacterial infection caused by a complex of spirochetes, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato including B. afzelii and B. garinii, transmitted by ticks of the genus Ixodes sp. These bacteria of the spirochete group are not detectable by GRAM staining. They are transmitted by the bite of an infected tick, the reservoir being wild mammals. After being bitten by a tick infected with Borrelia, only 3 to 15% of individuals develop an active infection. The natural history of the disease then evolves in three phases: localised, early disseminated and late disseminated. Initial involvement takes the form of a migrant erythema (ME), which may last from several weeks to several months and then disappear spontaneously. The disseminated phase may involve joint, cardiac or neurological signs. Diagnostic guidelines vary according to the clinical form of the disease. In the initial stage of ME, when the lesion is typical, the diagnosis is purely clinical. PCR is often a second-line test after serology or intra-thecal synthesis of specific IgG. Depending on the context, PCR on skin biopsies, if the lesion is atypical, on synovial fluid and/or tissue, or on CSF may be useful.

Prenalytics

• Biopsy (skin, joint), joint fluid, CSF (0.5 mL minimum), EDTA whole blood or serum; EDTA plasma (2 mL minimum)
• Refrigerated

Further information

• The use of the S14UK transport bag is Mandatory.
• Samples (other than swabs) must be sent as they are, in sterile bottles, without transport medium.
• Swab samples require the use of a transport medium (viral) supplied in kit K1.

Specific equipment available

K1: Virus screening kit by culture or PCR

Documents to download

• information note (N23-INTGB)

Methodology

Real-time PCR

Turnaround time

4 days