Recombinant Based Elisa--Diagnosis of Lyme Borreliosis

Current ELISA assays for Lyme disease have a poor positive predictive value. Because of this and pedevelopment of improved methodologies, the Center for Disease Control recently issued new guidelinesequivocal B. burgdorferi serologic tests should be confirmed by western blot. The goal of this proposensitive, highly specific ELISA based serologic assay that will eliminate the need for western blotInvestigators from the Lyme disease Center at SUNY at Stony Brook in collaboration with investigatorNational Labs over the past several years have been successful in identifying, sequencing, cloning aantigens of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, including OspA, OspB OspC p4l, p66, p73 and p93. By mappinproteins, the sites of specific epitopes have been identified, and unique recombinant chimeric protespecific epitopes are being produced. We have the exclusive license from New York State for the usechimeric proteins and will utilize these proteins to develop new serologic assays.