Species specific antigen sequences for tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) and methods of use
Compositions and methods for the detection and identification of Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever Borrelia sp. antibodies.
1. A composition comprising one or more amino acid sequences bound to a solid support, wherein the one or more bound amino acid sequences consist of amino acid sequences selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 9, SEQ ID NO: 13, SEQ ID NO: 14, SEQ ID NO: 15, SEQ ID NO: 16, SEQ ID NO: 17, SEQ ID NO: 18, SEQ ID NO: 19, and SEQ ID NO: 20.
2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said amino acid sequences are bound to a solid support selected from the group consisting of nitrocellulose, nylon, polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), magnetic beads, metal, plastic, and agarose.
3. A method of detecting antibodies to one or more of B. hermsii, B. turicatae, B. miyamotoi, B. turcica , and B. coriaceae amino acid sequences in a sample from a subject suspected of having tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF), said method comprising:
providing a biological sample obtained from a subject suspected of having TBRF;
mixing the biological sample with one or more of the bound amino acid sequences of claim 1 ; and
detecting a positive immunobinding reaction which indicates the presence of TBRF specific antibodies in the sample.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein biological sample is considered positive for TBRF if at least two bound amino acid sequences are detected.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the bound amino acid sequences, complexed with antibodies to one or more of B. hermsii, B. turicatae, B. miyamotoi, B. turcica , and B. coriaceae , are detected using anti-human IgG or anti-human IgM antibody linked to a detectable moiety.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said detectable moiety is selected from the group consisting of chromophores, radioactive moieties and enzymes.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein said detectable moiety comprises alkaline phosphatase.
8. The method of claim 5 , wherein said detectable moiety comprises biotin.
9. The method of claim 4 , wherein the at least two bound amino acid sequences detected are group-specific and are detected from the groups selected from: (1) 21-23 kDa; (2) 41 kDa; (3) 70-75 kDa; and (4) GlpQ; and wherein the at least two bound sequences are not specific for the same group.