Table 1.
Comparison of Cq values (Mean ±1 SD; n = 9) from single and duplex real-time PCR assays obtained with dilution series of Borrelia DNA or a synthetic Borrelia 16S oligonucleotide in a background matrix of human genomic DNA.
Figure 1.
Distribution of Cq values determined for 83 different B. burgdorferi s.l. strains.
Boxplot analysis of 16S Cq values using the 16S/RNaseP real-time assay probing 25 ng total DNA extracted from a panel of B. burgdorferi s.l. including all species known to cause LB. Whiskers indicate the minimal and maximal 16S Cq value determined.
Table 2.
Limit of detection of the 16S rRNA qRT-PCR assay in the presence of human genomic DNA.
Table 3.
Comparison of PCR and culture for the detection of B. burgdorferi s.l. in EM lesions and comparison of median copy number in culture positive and culture negative biopsies.
Figure 2.
16S copy number of Borrelia positive and negative cultures.
Boxplot showing the 16S copies (log10) detected in skin biopsy specimens for which the paired biopsies were either positive or negative for Borrelia in culture. (A) Analysis for all samples and (B) only samples which were positive by PCR. Whiskers indicate the minimal and maximal copy number determined. Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney test.
Figure 3.
Association of Borrelia 16S rRNA targets per 10,000 genome equivalents and clinical symptoms.
(A) Boxplot showing log10 16S copies determined for biopsy specimens from patients presenting with (+) or without (−) systemic symptoms. (B) Distribution of Borrelia 16S copies quantified from specimens taken from patients reporting a previous diagnosis of LD. (C) 16S copies quantified for biopsies taken from EM lesions with or without central clearing. Whiskers indicate the minimal and maximal copy number determined. Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney test.
Table 4.
Summary of clinical characteristics for 121 patients with EM and association of the significance of spirochete number with clinical characteristic.
Figure 4.
Estimated probability of positive detection of B. burgdorferi s.l. by culture and PCR as a function of time from onset of EM to biopsy.