RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi DNA in urine of patients with ocular Lyme borreliosis JF British Journal of Ophthalmology JO Br J Ophthalmol FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. SP 552 OP 555 DO 10.1136/bjo.85.5.552 VO 85 IS 5 A1 Uwe Pleyer A1 Susanne Priem A1 Lars Bergmann A1 Gerd Burmester A1 Christian Hartmann A1 Andreas Krause YR 2001 UL http://bjo.bmj.com/content/85/5/552.abstract AB AIM To evaluate the diagnostic value of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detectBorrelia burgdorferi DNA in patients with ocular Lyme borreliosis. METHODS Of 256 consecutive uveitis patients six selected individuals with clinical evidence for Lyme borreliosis and 30 patients with non-Lyme uveitis were enrolled. Lyme serology was performed by ELISA and western blotting. Urine samples were examined by an optimised nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol. RESULTS Only four of six uveitis patients suspected for Lyme borreliosis were ELISA positive, while all six subjects showed a positive western blot.B burgdorferi PCR was positive in all of these six patients. Whereas two of the 30 controls had a positive Lyme serology, B burgdorferi DNA was not detectable by PCR in any sample from these patients. CONCLUSIONS PCR for the detection of B burgdorferi DNA in urine of uveitis patients is a valuable tool to support the diagnosis of ocular Lyme borreliosis. Moreover, these patients often show a weak humoral immune response which may more sensitively be detected by immunoblotting.