EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OF LYME-BORELLIOSIS IN THE EARLY, LOCALIZED STAGE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11603/mcch.2410-681X.2026.i3.16741Keywords:
ticks; bites; Lyme borreliosis; stages; erythema migrans; interleukin-6; interleukin-10Abstract
Introduction. Lyme disease (LD) is the most common tick-borne disease in Europe and the United States, caused by spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. Diagnosing this disease can be challenging due to patients’ frequent lack of awareness of tick bites, the delayed humoral immune response to the pathogen’s antigens, and the possibility of developing non-erythematous forms of the disease. The aim of the study – to analyze certain epidemiological and immunological characteristics of early localized Lyme borreliosis among residents of the Ternopil region. Research Methods. Forty-four individuals with skin lesions characterized by ng erythema migrans (a pathognomonic sign of the early localized stage of Lyme borreliosis) were examined. Among those examined, women outnumbered men: 70,5 % versus 29,5 %. In addition to the presence of erythema migrans, a certain proportion of patients complained of muscle and headache, as well as fatigue and general weakness. The examined individuals reported the presence of tick bites, their number, and the location where they were bitten. The levels of pro-inflammatory IL-6 and anti-inflammatory IL-10 in the serum of patients with ME were determined by ELISA using test kits manufactured by Elabscience, USA. Results. It was found that 63,6 % of patients with Lyme disease in the early localized stage recalled being bitten by ticks; there was a statistically significant predominance of individuals who had been bitten by ticks at country houses/gardens or in a garden, compared with bites in a forest belt/forest and a park/water park: 60,7 % versus 25,0 % and 14,3 %, p < 0,05. 52,3 % of individuals with Lyme borreliosis in the early localized stage experienced muscle pain, headaches, and fatigue/general weakness in addition to ME. Concentrations of the pro-inflammatory IL-6 and the anti-inflammatory IL-10 were significantly higher in the serum of patients with early localized Lyme borreliosis in both groups compared to the control group. The levels of anti-inflammatory IL-10 tended to be higher in the study samples from individuals with ME combined with complaints of muscle pain, headache, and fatigue/general weakness, compared with patients with ME alone. Conclusion. Under the influence of B. burgdorferi s. l., both the pro-inflammatory interleukin-6 and the antiinflammatory cytokine IL-10 are actively produced in the blood of patients with the early localized stage of Lyme borreliosis, with no statistically significant difference between individuals with ME alone and patients with ME combined with muscle pain, headache, and fatigue/general weakness. When diagnosing the early localized stage of Lyme borreliosis, it is necessary to consider the possibility that 40,0 % of individuals requesting medical care do not report a history of a tick bite. To prevent Lyme disease, residents of the Ternopil region are advised to increase their use of non-specific measures to prevent tick bites while spending time at their country houses / gardens or in a garden.
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