DOI: 10.5061/dryad.xwdbrv1mg
title: Antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi and Bartonella species in serum and synovial fluid from people with rheumatic diseases

description: Vector-borne infections may underlie some rheumatic diseases, particularly
 in people with joint effusions. The aim of this study was to compare serum
 and synovial fluid antibodies to B. burgdorferi and Bartonella spp. in
 patients with rheumatic diseases. This observational, cross-sectional
 study examined paired synovial fluid and serum specimens collected from
 110 patients with joint effusion between October 2017 and January 2022.
 Testing for antibodies to B. burgdorferi (using CDC criteria) and
 Bartonella spp. via two Indirect Fluorescent Antibody [IFA] assays, was
 performed as part of routine patient care. There were 30 participants
 (27%) with positive two-tier B. burgdorferi serology, and 26
 participants (24%) with IFA seroreactivity (≥1:256) to B. henselae and/or
 B. quintana. Both B. burgdorferi IgM and IgG were detected more frequently
 in synovial fluid than serum: 27% of patients were either IgM or IgG
 positive in synovial fluid, compared to 15.5% in serum (p = 0.048).
 Conversely, B. henselae and B. quintana antibodies were detected more
 frequently in serum than synovial fluid; overall only 2% of patients had
 positive IFA titers in synovial fluid, compared to 24% who had positive
 IFA titers in serum (p &lt;0.001). There were no significant
 associations between B. burgdorferi or Bartonella spp. seroreactivity with
 any of the clinical rheumatological diagnoses. This study provides
 preliminary support for the importance of synovial fluid antibody testing
 for documenting exposure to B. burgdorferi, but not for
 documenting exposure to Bartonella spp.
description: # Antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi and Bartonella species in serum and
 synovial fluid from people with rheumatic diseases
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.xwdbrv1mg](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.xwdbrv1mg) Serology results between serum and synovial fluid for *Borrelia burgdorferi*, *Bartonella henselae,* and *Bartonella quintana* in human participants with rheumatic diseases. ## Description of the data and file structure The data is structured so that each row is one paired sampling of synovial fluid and serum from a human participant presenting to a clinic during the enrollment period (October 2017 - January 2022). Some participants who returned to the clinic during the time of the study enrollment period were sampled during each visit. Participant demographic information includes age range and gender binary categorization. The data also includes serology results of IgM and IgG ELISA for *Borrelia burgdorferi,* and IFA for *Bartonella henselae* and *Bartonella quintana* between serum and synovial fluid. Clinical diagnoses are also included for the participant which include rheumatic and non-rheumatic conditions. The source of the synovial fluid is included. Identifying information has been removed or adjusted in accordance with Dryad guidelines. Ages have been altered into an age range (ie. "39 years" is "30-39."). Sex identification (male and female)) has been changed to a number binary category. Additionally, one entry involving a minor (child &lt;18 years of age) was removed. Abbreviations: * APL = acute promyelocytic leukemia * AS = ankylosing spondylitis * Bb = *Borrelia burgdorferi* * Bh = *Bartonella henselae* * Bq = *Bartonella quintana* * CIDP = chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy * CPPD = calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease * CVID = common variable immunodeficiency * JF = joint fluid * JRA = juvenile rheumatoid arthritis * MGUS = monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance * NASH = nonalcoholic steatohepatitis * OA = osteoarthritis * POTS = postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome * PMR = polymyalgia rheumatica * RA = rheumatoid arthritis * SLE = systemic lupus erythematosus ## Sharing/Access information Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data: * None Data was derived from the following sources: * Alexander Shikhman, MD of the Institute of Specialized Medicine (4125 Sorrento Valley Blvd., San Diego, CA 92121) in collaboration with Galaxy Diagnostics Inc. (6 Davis Dr, Research Triangle, NC 27709)