Loading patent…
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services
InventorsDavid W. Dorward, Tom G. Schwan, Claude F. Garon
Estimating the term…
The invention relates to novel antigens associated with Borrelia burgdorferi which are exported (or shed) in vivo and whose detection is a means of diagnosing Lyme disease. The antigens are extracellular membrane vesicles and other bioproducts including the major extracellular protein. The invention further provides antibodies, monoclonal and/or polyclonal, labeled and/or unlabeled, that react with the antigens. The invention is also directed to a method of diagnosing Lyme disease by detecting the antigens in a biological sample taken from a host using the antibodies in conventional immunoassay formats. The invention further relates to kits, for the diagnosis of Lyme disease, comprising the antibodies and ancillary reagents. The advantage of the antibodies used in the invention is that they react with the antigens from geographically diverse strains of Borrelia burgdorferi, but do not react with antigens from related Borrelia spirochetes.
Purified antibodies or antigen-binding fragments of said antibodies raised against a purified major extracellular protein antigen which is exported from Borrelia burgdorferi, said purified major extracellular protein antigen having a molecular weight of 83 kilodaltons (kDa).
Purified antibodies or antigen-binding fragments of said antibodies raised against purified extracellular membrane vesicles exported from Borrelia burgdorferi, said antibodies being polyclonal.
A method of detecting Borrelia burgdorfer, or Borrelia burdorferi exported antigens in a sample, said method comprising:
A diagnostic kit comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.