Antibodies and T-Cell Reactivity to Borrelia Burgdorferi in an Asymptomatic Population: A Study of Healthy Blood Donors in an Inland Town District in the South-East of Sweden

Abstract

To address the issue of whether Borrelia infection can be asymptomatic, blood donors with no history of borreliosis (n = 408) were screened for antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi. Seropositive individuals (n =17) were further investigated with respect to Borrelia-specific T-cell reactivity, using an interferon-γ ELISPOT assay. Anti-Borrelia antibodies as well as Borrelia-specific T-cell responses were evident in 9 asymptomatic donors, strongly supporting a current or previous asymptomatic Borrelia infection.