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Ghosh R, Joung HA, Goncharov A, Palanisamy B, Ngo K, Pejcinovic K, Krockenberger N, Horn EJ, Garner OB, Ghazal E, O'Kula A, Arnaboldi PM, Dattwyler RJ, Ozcan A, Di Carlo D. Rapid single-tier serodiagnosis of Lyme disease. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7124. [PMID: 39164226 PMCID: PMC11336255 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51067-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Point-of-care serological and direct antigen testing offers actionable insights for diagnosing challenging illnesses, empowering distributed health systems. Here, we report a POC-compatible serologic test for Lyme disease (LD), leveraging synthetic peptides specific to LD antibodies and a paper-based platform for rapid, and cost-effective diagnosis. Antigenic epitopes conserved across Borrelia burgdorferi genospecies, targeted by IgG and IgM antibodies, are selected to develop a multiplexed panel for detection of LD antibodies from patient sera. Multiple peptide epitopes, when combined synergistically with a machine learning-based diagnostic model achieve high sensitivity without sacrificing specificity. Blinded validation with 15 LD-positive and 15 negative samples shows 95.5% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Blind testing with the CDC's LD repository samples confirms the test accuracy, matching lab-based two-tier results, correctly differentiating between LD and look-alike diseases. This LD diagnostic test could potentially replace the cumbersome two-tier testing, improving diagnosis and enabling earlier treatment while facilitating immune monitoring and surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajesh Ghosh
- Bioengineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Hyou-Arm Joung
- Electrical & Computer Engineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Artem Goncharov
- Electrical & Computer Engineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Barath Palanisamy
- Bioengineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Kevin Ngo
- Bioengineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Katarina Pejcinovic
- Bioengineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Nicole Krockenberger
- Bioengineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | | | - Omai B Garner
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Ezdehar Ghazal
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Andrew O'Kula
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Paul M Arnaboldi
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
- Biopeptides, Corp, Ridgefield, CT, 06877, USA
| | - Raymond J Dattwyler
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
- Biopeptides, Corp, Ridgefield, CT, 06877, USA
| | - Aydogan Ozcan
- Bioengineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Electrical & Computer Engineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Department of Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Dino Di Carlo
- Bioengineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
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Jafari Z, Bardania H, Barmak MJ, Eslami S, Mahmoudi-Mourderaz Y, Roustaei N, Talebianpoor MS, Kokhdan EP, Khoramrooz SS. Antimicrobial, Anti-inflammatory, and Wound Healing Properties of Myrtus communis Leaf Methanolic Extract Ointment on Burn Wound Infection Induced by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Rats. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 2024:6758817. [PMID: 38899039 PMCID: PMC11186692 DOI: 10.1155/2024/6758817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Materials and Methods In a research experiment, 48 male Wistar rats were anesthetized and second-degree burns were induced on their backs. The rats' wounds were then uniformly inoculated with MRSA. Various treatments were applied to the burn wounds daily, including Myrtus ointment, silver nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles-Myrtus ointment, silver sulfadiazine-Myrtus ointment, silver sulfadiazine 1%, mupirocin ointment, and a positive control. The study measured the antimicrobial effects, wound area, percentage of wound healing, antioxidant capacities, malondialdehyde, and nitric oxide concentrations in the serum of the rats. Data analysis was performed using GraphPad software, with one-way ANOVA and Tukey's tests used to determine the statistical significance of the results. Results Rats treated with Myrtus ointment, silver nanoparticles-Myrtus ointment, and mupirocin had reduced bacterial growth compared to the positive control group, nanoparticle ointment, and silver sulfadiazine (P < 0.05). The wound area of the Myrtus ointment group decreased significantly on the seventh and fourteenth days, as well as the level of MDA and nitric oxide, compared to the other groups. In Myrtus and silver sulfadiazine-Myrtus ointment increased the thickness of the epidermis and dermis compared to the other groups. Conclusion Based on the anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and wound healing properties of Myrtus, with further studies, an ointment of this plant may be used as a main or complementary treatment for burn wound infections caused by MRSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zohre Jafari
- Student Research CommitteeYasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran
| | - Hassan Bardania
- Cellular and Molecular Research CanterYasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran
| | - Mehrzad Jafari Barmak
- Cellular and Molecular Research CanterYasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran
| | - Saba Eslami
- Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | | - Narges Roustaei
- Department of Epidemiology and BiostatisticsSchool of Health and Nutrition SciencesSocial Determinants of Health Research CenterYasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran
| | | | | | - Seyed Sajjad Khoramrooz
- Medicinal Plants Research CenterYasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran
- Department of MicrobiologySchool of MedicineYasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran
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Grąźlewska W, Sołowińska K, Holec-Gąsior L. In silico epitope prediction of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato antigens for the detection of specific antibodies. J Immunol Methods 2024; 524:113596. [PMID: 38070727 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2023.113596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Despite many years of research, serodiagnosis of Lyme disease still faces many obstacles. Difficulties arise mainly due to the low degree of amino acid sequence conservation of the most immunogenic antigens among B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies, as well as differences in protein production depending on the environment in which the spirochete is located. Mapping B-cell epitopes located on antigens allows for a better understanding of antibody-pathogen interactions which is essential for the development of new and more effective diagnostic tools. In this study, in silico B-cell epitope mapping was performed to determine the theoretical diagnostic potential of selected B. burgdorferi s.l. proteins (BB0108, BB0126, BB0298, BB0689, BB0323, FliL, PstS, SecD, EF-Tu). Bioinformatics software predicted 35 conserved linear and 31 conformational epitopes with the degree of identity among B. burgdorferi s.l. of at least 85%, which may prove to be useful in the development of a new tool for the diagnosis of Lyme disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weronika Grąźlewska
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Karolina Sołowińska
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Lucyna Holec-Gąsior
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland.
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Sanchez-Vicente S, Tokarz R. Tick-Borne Co-Infections: Challenges in Molecular and Serologic Diagnoses. Pathogens 2023; 12:1371. [PMID: 38003835 PMCID: PMC10674443 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12111371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Co-infections are a poorly understood aspect of tick-borne diseases. In the United States alone, nineteen different tick-borne pathogens have been identified. The majority of these agents are transmitted by only two tick species, Ixodes scapularis and Amblyomma americanum. Surveillance studies have demonstrated the presence of multiple pathogens in individual ticks suggesting a risk of polymicrobial transmission to humans. However, relatively few studies have explored this relationship and its impact on human disease. One of the key factors for this deficiency are the intrinsic limitations associated with molecular and serologic assays employed for the diagnosis of tick-borne diseases. Limitations in the sensitivity, specificity and most importantly, the capacity for inclusion of multiple agents within a single assay represent the primary challenges for the accurate detection of polymicrobial tick-borne infections. This review will focus on outlining these limitations and discuss potential solutions for the enhanced diagnosis of tick-borne co-infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Sanchez-Vicente
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA;
| | - Rafal Tokarz
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA;
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
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Grąźlewska W, Holec-Gąsior L, Sołowińska K, Chmielewski T, Fiecek B, Contreras M. Epitope Mapping of BmpA and BBK32 Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Stricto Antigens for the Design of Chimeric Proteins with Potential Diagnostic Value. ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:2160-2172. [PMID: 37803965 PMCID: PMC10722512 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Lyme disease is a tick-borne zoonosis caused by Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) group. In this study, IgM- and IgG-specific linear epitopes of two B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) antigens BmpA and BBK32 were mapped using a polypeptide array. Subsequently, two chimeric proteins BmpA-BBK32-M and BmpA-BBK32-G were designed to validate the construction of chimeras using the identified epitopes for the detection of IgM and IgG, respectively, by ELISA. IgG-ELISA based on the BmpA-BBK32-G antigen showed 71% sensitivity and 95% specificity, whereas a slightly lower diagnostic utility was obtained for IgM-ELISA based on BmpA-BBK32-M, where the sensitivity was also 71% but the specificity decreased to 89%. The reactivity of chimeric proteins with nondedicated antibodies was much lower. These results suggest that the identified epitopes may be useful in the design of new forms of antigens to increase the effectiveness of Lyme disease serodiagnosis. It has also been proven that appropriate selection of epitopes enables the construction of chimeric proteins exhibiting reactivity with a specific antibody isotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weronika Grąźlewska
- Department
of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk Technology, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
- SaBio,
Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC−CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Lucyna Holec-Gąsior
- Department
of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk Technology, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Karolina Sołowińska
- Department
of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk Technology, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Tomasz Chmielewski
- Department
of Parasitology and Diseases Transmitted by Vectors, National Institute of Public Health NIH - National Research Institute, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Beata Fiecek
- Department
of Parasitology and Diseases Transmitted by Vectors, National Institute of Public Health NIH - National Research Institute, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marinela Contreras
- SaBio,
Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC−CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
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Grąźlewska W, Holec-Gąsior L. Antibody Cross-Reactivity in Serodiagnosis of Lyme Disease. Antibodies (Basel) 2023; 12:63. [PMID: 37873860 PMCID: PMC10594444 DOI: 10.3390/antib12040063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease caused by spirochetes belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. The disease is characterized by a varied course; therefore, the basis for diagnosis is laboratory methods. Currently, a two-tiered serological test is recommended, using an ELISA as a screening test and a Western blot as a confirmatory test. This approach was introduced due to the relatively high number of false-positive results obtained when using an ELISA alone. However, even this approach has not entirely solved the problem of false-positive results caused by cross-reactive antibodies. Many highly immunogenic B. burgdorferi s.l. proteins are recognized nonspecifically by antibodies directed against other pathogens. This also applies to antigens, such as OspC, BmpA, VlsE, and FlaB, i.e., those commonly used in serodiagnostic assays. Cross-reactions can be caused by both bacterial (relapsing fever Borrelia, Treponema pallidum) and viral (Epstein-Baar virus, Cytomegalovirus) infections. Additionally, a rheumatoid factor has also been shown to nonspecifically recognize B. burgdorferi s.l. proteins, resulting in false-positive results. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully interpret the results of serodiagnostic tests so as to avoid overdiagnosis of Lyme disease, which causes unnecessary implementations of strong antibiotic therapies and delays in the correct diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucyna Holec-Gąsior
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdansk University of Technology, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland;
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Zhou J, Chen J, Peng Y, Xie Y, Xiao Y. A Promising Tool in Serological Diagnosis: Current Research Progress of Antigenic Epitopes in Infectious Diseases. Pathogens 2022; 11:1095. [PMID: 36297152 PMCID: PMC9609281 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11101095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases, caused by various pathogens in the clinic, threaten the safety of human life, are harmful to physical and mental health, and also increase economic burdens on society. Infections are a complex mechanism of interaction between pathogenic microorganisms and their host. Identification of the causative agent of the infection is vital for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Etiological laboratory diagnostic tests are therefore essential to identify pathogens. However, due to its rapidity and automation, the serological diagnostic test is among the methods of great significance for the diagnosis of infections with the basis of detecting antigens or antibodies in body fluids clinically. Epitopes, as a special chemical group that determines the specificity of antigens and the basic unit of inducing immune responses, play an important role in the study of immune responses. Identifying the epitopes of a pathogen may contribute to the development of a vaccine to prevent disease, the diagnosis of the corresponding disease, and the determination of different stages of the disease. Moreover, both the preparation of neutralizing antibodies based on useful epitopes and the assembly of several associated epitopes can be used in the treatment of disease. Epitopes can be divided into B cell epitopes and T cell epitopes; B cell epitopes stimulate the body to produce antibodies and are therefore commonly used as targets for the design of serological diagnostic experiments. Meanwhile, epitopes can fall into two possible categories: linear and conformational. This article reviews the role of B cell epitopes in the clinical diagnosis of infectious diseases.
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Arnaboldi PM, Katseff AS, Sambir M, Dattwyler RJ. Linear Peptide Epitopes Derived from ErpP, p35, and FlaB in the Serodiagnosis of Lyme Disease. Pathogens 2022; 11:944. [PMID: 36015064 PMCID: PMC9414810 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11080944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the northern hemisphere. Current serodiagnostics are insensitive in early infection. Sensitivity in these seroassays is compromised by the necessity to preserve specificity in the presence of cross-reactive epitopes in Borrelia burgdorferi target antigens. We evaluated the efficacy of using synthetic peptides containing epitopes unique to B. burgdorferi as antigen targets in a Lyme disease seroassay. We performed linear B cell epitope mapping of the proteins p35 (BBH32) and ErpP to identify unique epitopes. We generated peptides containing these newly identified linear epitope sequences along with previously identified epitopes from the antigens FlaB and VlsE and evaluated their diagnostic capabilities via ELISA using large serum sets. Single-epitope peptides, while specific, demonstrated insufficient sensitivity. However, when epitopes from FlaB, ErpP, or p35 were combined in tandem with an epitope from VlsE, the sensitivity of the assay was significantly increased without compromising specificity. The identification of additional unique epitopes from other B. burgdorferi antigens and the further development of a combined multi-peptide-based assay for the laboratory diagnosis of Lyme disease offers a way to address the poor specificity associated with the use of whole protein antigen targets and thus significantly improve the laboratory diagnosis of Lyme disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M. Arnaboldi
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA
- Biopeptides, Corp., East Setauket, NY 11733, USA
| | - Adiya S. Katseff
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA
| | - Mariya Sambir
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA
- Biopeptides, Corp., East Setauket, NY 11733, USA
| | - Raymond J. Dattwyler
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA
- Biopeptides, Corp., East Setauket, NY 11733, USA
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Abstract
Lyme borreliosis is caused by a growing list of related, yet distinct, spirochetes with complex biology and sophisticated immune evasion mechanisms. It may result in a range of clinical manifestations involving different organ systems, and can lead to persistent sequelae in a subset of cases. The pathogenesis of Lyme borreliosis is incompletely understood, and laboratory diagnosis, the focus of this review, requires considerable understanding to interpret the results correctly. Direct detection of the infectious agent is usually not possible or practical, necessitating a continued reliance on serologic testing. Still, some important advances have been made in the area of diagnostics, and there are many promising ideas for future assay development. This review summarizes the state of the art in laboratory diagnostics for Lyme borreliosis, provides guidance in test selection and interpretation, and highlights future directions.
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10
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Immunologic detection of Lyme disease and the related borrelioses. J Microbiol Methods 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mim.2019.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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