Our laboratory is the only one equipped for the isolation of the Lyme disease agent, Borrelia burgdorferi in Hungary. At least 300 000 borrelia immuno- (Western) blot examinations have been performed for clinical diagnostic and scientific purposes.

This is probably, the highest figure in Hungary. Western blot, is the most reliable method in Lyme diagnostics, and we improved the specificity to 96% in IgG and 100% in IgM using thousands of controls to set up the cut-off levels. This method was introduced in our lab in 1996, being the first in Hungary.

We developed a new method for diagnosing neuroborreliosis (the neurological complication of Lyme disease). It seems to be the most reliable technique in this field, and probably this is the only appropriate one for serological follow up (See the PDF file: Lakos A, Ferenczi E, Komoly S, Granström M: Different B-cell populations are responsible for the peripheral and intrathecal antibody production in neuroborreliosis. Int Immunol. 2005 Dec;17(12):1631-7).

The serological test which we developed and have been using since 1996 (Lakoblot Lyme IgG + IgM kit) was controlled by the Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Microbiology, Tumor and Cellbiology (Stockholm, Sweden), the European Society for External Quality Assessment (ESfEQA, Heidelberg, Germany) and the Qualicont In vitro Diagnostic and Quality Assessment Nonprofit Ltd (Szeged, Hungary).

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Curriculum Vitate

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