Abstract
Human polymicrobial infections in tick-borne disease (TBD) patients is an emerging public health theme. However, the requirement for holistic TBD tests in routine clinical laboratories is ambiguous. TICKPLEX® PLUS is a holistic TBD test utilized herein to assess the need for multiplex and multifunctional diagnostic tools in a routine clinical laboratory. The study involved 150 specimens categorized into Lyme disease (LD)-positive (n = 48), LD-negative (n = 30), and febrile patients from whom borrelia serology was requested (n = 72, later “febrile patients”) based on reference test results from United Medix, Finland. Reference tests from DiaSorin, Immunetics, and Mikrogen Diagnostik followed the two-tier LD testing system. A comparison between the reference tests and TICKPLEX® PLUS produced 86%, 88%, and 87% positive, negative, and overall agreement, respectively. Additionally, up to 15% of LD and 11% of febrile patients responded to TBD related coinfections and opportunistic microbes. The results demonstrated that one (TICKPLEX® PLUS) test can aid in a LD diagnosis instead of four tests. Moreover, TBD is not limited to just LD, as the specimens produced immune responses to several TBD microbes. Lastly, the study indicated that the screening of febrile patients for TBDs could be a missed opportunity at reducing unreported patient cases.
Highlights
Lyme disease (LD) is a tick-borne disease (TBD) caused by bacteria from the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group that can cause arthritic, dermatitis, or neurological manifestations [1,2,3,4]
The study involved 150 specimens categorized into Lyme disease (LD)-positive (n = 48), LD-negative (n = 30), and febrile patients from whom borrelia serology was requested (n = 72, later “febrile patients”) based on reference test results from United Medix, Finland
The results demonstrated that one (TICKPLEX® PLUS) test can aid in a LD diagnosis instead of four tests
Summary
Lyme disease (LD) is a tick-borne disease (TBD) caused by bacteria from the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group that can cause arthritic, dermatitis, or neurological manifestations [1,2,3,4]. TBDs are present in over 80 countries and may affect 35% of the world’s population by 2050 [9]. The reported TBD cases have spiked in various countries around the world [14,15,16]. Healthcare authorities like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the USA recognize that the real frequency of TBD cases in humans is much higher than the reported cases [17]. The European Parliament resolution recognized that the current TBD diagnostic tools are inaccurate, as they test for only one microbe at a time [19]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
