Antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi and Bartonella species in serum and synovial fluid from people with rheumatic diseases

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,..., , , # 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 s...