Anti-β2-Glycoprotein I Antibodies in Lyme Borreliosis: Differences in Disease Stage and Immunoglobulin Class Distribution

Spirochetes are gram-negative bacteria, which include the Treponema, Borrelia and Leptospira and cause different diseases such as syphilis, Lyme borreliosis and leptospirosis, respectively. Antiphospholipid antibodies as a consequence of the infection with Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum have been extensively studied. There have also been a few reports of antiphospholipid antibodies in leptospirosis. On the other hand, there are very few data on the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies in Lyme borreliosis and to our knowledge, there is no information about antibodies against β2-glycoprotein I. In this study, we report the frequency of anticardiolipin antibodies and for the first time, the frequency of antibodies against β2-glycoprotein I in patients with acute and chronic Lyme borreliosis. The frequency of anticardiolipin antibodies and IgG antibodies against β2-glycoprotein I was similar in both groups, but antibodies against β2- glycoprotein I of the IgM isotype were surprisingly higher in the late stage of the disease. The frequency of IgM class antibodies against β2-glycoprotein I was 10% in chronic Lyme borreliosis versus none in acute Lyme borreliosis.