[The rate of detection and diagnostic significance of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferri in patients with eyes diseases of inflammatory nature].

The eyes diseases appear at any stage of Lyme borreliosis and clinical manifestations are polymorphic and non-specific. The study examined prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. infection in patients with different eyes diseases and evaluated diagnostic significance of antibodies to B. burgdorferi in clinical practice. The sampling included 57 patients with conjunctivitis, keratitis, uveitis, choreoretinitis, optical neuritis of unclear etiology. The blood serum of patients was analyzed to detect presence of IgM- and IgG-antibodies to B. burgdorferi s.l. The positive results were confirmed in Western blot (two-sweep method). The immune enzyme analysis detected antibodies to B. burgdorferi in 7 out of 57 examined patients (12.3%). The Western blot confirmed presence of antibodies only in 3 serums out of 57 (5.3%). The high rate of false positive results was established during immune enzyme analysis detecting IgM-antibodies to B. burgdorferi. On the basis of comprehensive examination ophtalmo-borreliosis was diagnosed in two out of three patients seropositive to B. burgdorferi. In one seropositive patient co-infection B. burgdorferi provoked exacerbation of chronic uveitis of unclear etiology. It is appropriate to include in plan of examination of patients with inflammatory eyes diseases of unclear genesis the detection of antibodies to B. burgdorferi using two-sweep test (study of serums with immune enzyme analysis, confirmation of positive results in Western blot).