Use of EpitopePredikt in Lyme disease diagnostics.

EpitopePredikt has been utilised in NorthTick EU project to improve the sensitivity and specificity of existing serological testing methods. Borrelia burgdorferi is a spirochete that causes Lyme disease and shares features with other spirochetal infections (diseases caused by three genera in humans: Treponema, Borrelia, and Leptospira). Lyme disease occurs in three stages, often with intervening latent periods and with different clinical manifestations. In Lyme disease, there are generally three stages of disease often with overlapping symptoms. Asymptomatic subclinical infection is possible and infection may not become clinically evident until the later stages which is most often associated with arthritis or CNS syndromes.

Serological tests for antibodies to B. burgdorferi have low sensitivity and specificity and because of such inaccuracies, health care professionals do not rely on these tests to establish a diagnosis of Lyme disease.  Innovative approach is required to boost the assay performance. PeptidePredikt will provide solutions to overcome antigenic complexity of B. burgdorferi by identifying relevant epitopes from early and late antibody responses and combine together in one assay.