A newly defined threshold for the concentration of the cytokine CXCL13 may improve the diagnosis of neuroborreliosis. The clinical diagnosis of this disease, which is caused by infections from tick bites, is still difficult and often occurs long after infection. CXCL13 now makes it possible to diagnose neuroborreliosis more quickly and start treatment earlier.
In the study conducted by the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences (KL Krems), a concentration of CXCL13 in the cerebrospinal fluid of > 271 pg/ml was identified with a very high statistical certainty as the threshold value for a better diagnosis of neuroborreliosis. Lyme disease is caused by infection with the bacterium Borrelia burgdoferi, with tick bites being the most common mode of transmission. In about 15% of cases, the infection spreads to the nervous system and causes a condition called neuroborreliosis.
This causes symptoms ranging from headaches and dizziness to facial paralysis and epilepsy. Diagnosis is difficult and involves several methods. These include identifying neurological abnormalities, measuring the proliferation of white blood cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and detecting specific antibodies in the CSF.
However, all of these methods are relatively non-specific, complex and time-consuming. CXCL13, a signalling protein that is produced immediately after infection with B. burgdorferi and triggers an immune response, could provide a more accurate diagnosis – if it were known at wha.