Evaluation of immuno-reactive epitopes in the sera and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome
Data files
Mar 06, 2026 version files 154.11 MB
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IgG_PTLDS_data.csv
52.37 MB
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IgM_PTLDS_data.csv
55.67 MB
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PTLDS_SAMPLE_METADATA_IgG_IgM.xlsx
17.06 KB
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PTLDS_Serochip_Control_Samples_Metadata.csv
3.19 KB
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PTLDS_Serochip_Control_Samples_Raw_Data.csv
46.05 MB
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README.md
4.54 KB
Abstract
While most patients fully recover after treatment for Lyme disease with recommended antibiotic regimens, some report non-specific symptoms after treatment. When these symptoms are unexplained by other conditions and persist for >6 months, this condition is called post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms or syndrome (PTLDS). The pathogenesis of PTLDS is unknown, and no specific diagnostic biomarkers have been identified. In this study, we used a high-density peptide array to examine antibody responses to >60 primary antigens of B. burgdorferi from a cohort of patients diagnosed with PTLDS and recovered patients with similar Lyme disease manifestations. Using matched serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), we mapped the primary reactive B. burgdorferi epitopes associated with PTLDS. We found that VlsE had a greater antibody response within the PTLDS cohort than recovered patients. The reactivity to OspC-specific epitopes revealed a predominance of antibodies to OspC type K and A in the PTLDS cohort. However, the major immunodominant epitopes were similar in PTLDS and recovered patients, and we were unable to identify specific diagnostic targets for PTLDS. We found a more robust reactivity in the serum over CSF and did not identify antigenic regions that were specifically associated with the infection of the central nervous system.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.wpzgmsc1f
Description of the data and file structure
Relative fluorescent unit signals for 12-mer peptides originating from >60 antigens of Borrelia burgdorferi. The data includes IgM and IgG signal from sera and cerebrospinal fluid from 41 patients diagnosed with post-treatment Lyme disease. It also includes IgG signal data from 37 controls designated as patients with Lyme disease without a post-treatment Lyme disease diagnosis.
Files and variables
File: PTLDS_SAMPLE_METADATA_IgG_IgM.xlsx
Description: Metadata file for IgG and IgM split between sheet 1 and sheet 2, respectively. Both sheets contain serum and CSF sample information.
Variables
- Raw_Sample_ID: Sample ID that corresponds to columns in data files.
- Sample_LabID: ID given to each sample designating sample number and CSF or Serum label.
- Time_from_illness_to_sample_months: time from illness to sample collection point in months
- time_group: time from illness to sample months column split into three groups (0 to 1 years, 1 to 5 years, 5 years or more) based on months to years conversion.
- SampleSource: indication of whether sample came from CSF or Serum.
- Main_Manifestation: indication of major physical symptom of illness shown. NB - neuroborreliosis; LA - Lyme arthritis; MEM - multiple erythema migrans; SEM - single erythema migrans
- Group: Indication of illness studied for all samples.
File: PTLDS_Serochip_Control_Samples_Metadata.csv
Description: Metadata for 37 IgG serum control samples from patients that did not have post-treatment lyme disease diagnosis.
Variables
- Raw_Sample_ID: Sample ID that corresponds to columns in data files.
- Sample_LabID: ID given to each sample designating sample number.
- SampleSource: indication of whether sample came from CSF or Serum. For controls, it is only Serum.
- Main_Manifestation: indication of major physical symptom of illness shown. NB - neuroborreliosis; LA - Lyme arthritis; MEM - multiple erythema migrans; SEM - single erythema migrans
- Group: Indication of illness studied for all samples.
File: IgG_PTLDS_data.csv
Description: CSV file containing raw sera and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) data in relative fluorescence units (RFU) for IgG 12-mer probe sequences. First column contains probe sequences for Borrelia burgdorferi found on the serochip. Subsequent columns contain the RFU numbers of each sample's expression levels for the specific probe sequence. Subsequent column names match "Raw_Sample_ID" column in PTLDS SAMPLE METADATA IgG IgM.xlsx file.
File: IgM_PTLDS_data.csv
Description: CSV file containing raw sera and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) data in relative fluorescence units (RFU) for IgM 12-mer probe sequences. First column contains probe sequences for Borrelia burgdorferi found on the serochip. Subsequent columns contain the RFU numbers of each sample's expression levels for the specific probe sequence. Subsequent column names match "Raw_Sample_ID" column in PTLDS SAMPLE METADATA IgG IgM.xlsx file.
File: PTLDS_Serochip_Control_Samples_Raw_Data.csv
Description: CSV file containing raw sera data in relative fluorescence units (RFU) for IgG 12-mer probe sequences. First column contains probe sequences for Borrelia burgdorferi found on the serochip. Subsequent columns contain the RFU numbers of each sample's expression levels for the specific probe sequence. Subsequent column names match "Raw_Sample_ID" column in PTLDS Serochip Control Samples Metadata.csv file.
Code/software
Any software that can open a CSV file will open the data.
For the .xlsx file, Microsoft Excel or any sheet viewer is preferred, such that the multiple sheets can be read.
Human subjects data
Samples were collected under clinical protocols approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) institutional review board (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00028080 and NCT00001539), all methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Samples were de-identified prior to analysis at Columbia University. Each sample at the NIH received a unique numerical identifier prior to shipment and analysis at Columbia University. No identifiable information could be obtained from the numerical identifier.