Welkom bij het Lymeforum

In order to investigate the presence and prevalence of Lyme borreliosis (Lyme disease) Borrelia species, 312 unfed ticks were collected by flagging at a woodland area in Trakya, in the European side of Turkey, in May 2002.
Twelve of 299 Ixodes ricinus ticks were infected with Borrelia spp.,as determined by cultivation in BSK medium (prevalencerate 4·0%).
Ten pure cultures were subjected to further characterization by sequencing analysis of the 5S–23S rDNA intergenic spacer, 16S rDNA and flagellin gene. One isolate of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, two of Borrelia garini (Eurasian type),
two of Borrelia afzelii, four of Borrelia lusitaniae and one of Borrelia valaisiana were identified. However, no Asian-type B. garinii was found. Interestingly, all Borrelia species that are known to be carried by I. ricinus were discovered among the 10 isolates. These results provide the first evidence for the existence of the Lyme borreliosis agent in Turkey.

Determination of Seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi IgG in Adult Population Living in Trabzon.

Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Lyme borreliosis is a tick-borne, multi-systemic infectious disease that is thought to be wide spread in Turkey even though studies on its seroprevalence are limited.

AIMS:
To determine the seroprevalence of Lyme borreliosis in part of north-eastern Tur-key (in the city of Trabzon), and to identify possible relationships between seropositivity and various factors such as location, gender, age group, occupation, income, and educational level.

STUDY DESIGN:
Retrospective cross-sectional study.

METHODS:
A total of 884 blood samples collected from provincial and district health centers serving a population of about 800,000 were included in this study. ELISA was used to determine the anti-Borrelia IgG antibody levels in the samples. Samples that yielded positive results by ELISA were further subjected to western blot (WB).

RESULTS:
IgG antibodies were found in 128 samples (14.5%). Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between age groups and educational levels in terms of the incidence of seropositivity, whereas location, gender, occupational group and income level had no effect (p<0.001, p<0.001, p=0.948, p=0.645, p=0.131, p=0.080 respectively).

CONCLUSIONS:
The risk of contracting Lyme borreliosis in Trabzon is high, and necessary measures need to be taken to avoid the spread of disease.