Inflammatory cytokine production predominates in early Lyme disease in patients with erythema migrans

Abstract

In a study of cytokine production ex vivo by Borrelia burgdorferi-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 27 patients with culture-positive erythema migrans, production of inflammatory cytokines predominated, particularly gamma interferon and, to a lesser degree, tumor necrosis factor alpha. In contrast, with the exception of interleukin-13, anti-inflammatory cytokine production was negligible. Thus, B. burgdorferi antigens in early Lyme disease often induce a strong inflammatory response.

FIG. 1.

Acute-phase (black circles) and convalescent-phase (open circles) PBMC of 27 patients with culture-positive EM were stimulated for 5 days with B. burgdorferi lysate, rOspC, or rOspA. Proliferative and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine responses are shown. The cross-hatched areas are 3 standard deviations above the mean values of 16 healthy control subjects, and median values for each group are indicated (black bars).