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IgG antibody reactivity to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto antigens in patients with morphea in Colombia
Author(s) -
Palacios Ricardo,
Torres Antonio,
Trujillo Rodolfo
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-4362.2003.01901.x
Subject(s) - morphea , borrelia burgdorferi , medicine , lichen sclerosus , lyme disease , localized scleroderma , dermatology , erythema chronicum migrans , serology , spirochaetaceae , antigen , syphilis , borrelia , immunology , antibody , pathology , virology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)
Background Morphea and lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) are sclerotic skin lesions of unknown etiology involving connective tissue. The hypothesis of a borrelial origin of morphea and LSA is currently controversial. Methods Immunoglobulin G (IgG) immunoblot serologies against Borrelia burgdorferi in patients with morphea and LSA were analyzed and compared with those from healthy donors and patients with syphilis to determine the association with a probable borrelial agent in Colombia. Results No significant differences in the number of reactive antigenic bands were found between morphea/LSA patients and syphilis patients or healthy donors. The presence of at least one of the following bands, p28, p39, or p45, was the criterion most able to distinguish morphea/LSA, yielding a specificity of 95% and a sensitivity of 28.6%. Using this criterion as evidence of putative exposure to a causative borrelial agent, sclerotic skin lesions had an odds ratio of 7.60 (95% confidence interval, 1.47–39.23). Conclusions These results could be explained by cross‐reactivity; however, the partial shared reactivity of sera from patients with syphilis and morphea/LSA does not rule out the possibility that a new spirochetal agent, unrelated to B. burgdorferi or Treponemas , may be the causative agent of morphea/LSA in Colombia.