Seroprevalance of borrelia burgdorferi in patients with Behçet's disease

2. İNGİLİZCE özet Seroprevalence of B. Burgdorferi In Patients With Behcet's Disease Seroprevalence of Lyme disease has been found to be as high as 36 % in some rural areas of Turkey. Increased seropositivity for B. burgdorferi has been reported in patients with uveitis. Uveitis is a frequent finding in Behcet's disease which is relatively common in Turkey. In this study we investigated the seroreactivity to B. burgdorferi antigens in patients with Behcet's disease and compared it with healthy and disease controls. The study was conducted in Izmir located in the western part of Turkey. B. burgdorferi IgM and IgG antibodies were tested by quantitative micro ELISA in the sera of patients with Behcet's disease (n=30), healthy controls (n=31) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients as disease controls (n=31). Positive results were confirmed by Western blotting. The difference in B. burgdorferi seropositivity between the groups was not significant by any method. Seroreactivity to B. burgdorferi antigens by the micro ELISA system was detected in 26.7 % of patients with Behcet's disease, 35.5 % of patients with RA and 19.4 % of healthy controls. Immunoblots were positive in 13.3 % of Behcet's disease patients, 22.6 % of RA patients, and 13.3 % of healthy controls. These results does not suggest a role for B. burgdorferi in the etiopathogenesis of Behcet's disease. However high prevalence of B. burgdorferi antibodies in both patient and control groups suggests that Lyme disease should be considered in patients with appropriate clinical findings in this area of Turkey.