Lyme disease and tick-borne infections

About Lyme disease

Lyme borreliosis (also known as Lyme disease) is caused by bacteria from the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. In the UK the bacteria is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected, hard bodied, Ixodes ricinus ticks.

Borrelia miyamotoi disease, which presents as a relapsing fever, can also be transmitted by Ixodes ricinus ticks. It is an emerging disease in Europe caused by B. miyamotoi bacteria, which are from the relapsing fever group of borrelia, genetically distinct from those that cause Lyme disease.

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), also an acute febrile illness transmitted by Ixodid ticks, is an infection caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum.

Tick-borne encephalitis is a rare but emerging human viral disease in the UK, involving the central nervous system. Again, the TBE virus can be transmitted by infected I. ricinus ticks.

Service provided

The service provides laboratory testing for all patients with suspected Lyme disease in Scotland.  Blood and CSF samples are screened by an Enzyme Immunassay (EIA) for the presence of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacteria that causes Lyme disease).  Any reactive blood samples are subsequently confirmed by immunoblotting. Molecular testing for borrelia species (both Lyme disease and relapsing fever) and Anaplasma (another tick-borne disease) is also offered.  All new laboratory-confirmed cases are reported to Public Health Scotland.

• SLDTRL user manual (pdf)
• SLDTRL electronic request form (pdf)

Samples and turn-around times

See information on SLDTRL samples and turn-around times (TAT) (pdf).

Accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).
Issue date: 25/07/23
UKAS Medical 9612 (Accredited to ISO 15189:2012)

Please note users will be informed if an assay/result lies outside the laboratory's scope of accreditation.

Useful links

Treatment

Information on the treatment of Lyme borreliosis can be found in the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines and, for NHS Highland users, at Treatment and Medicines (TAM).

Research and affiliations

In September 2019, SLDTRL, together with nine other beneficiaries from six other European countries, embarked on a 3.5 year European Interreg project Tick-Borne Infections in the North Sea Region. This included:

• developing, optimising and implementing new microbial diagnostic tools for the common and emerging new tick-borne diseases
• improving awareness of tick-borne diseases
• encouraging more targeted antibiotic treatment and better application of diagnostic tests

- all through a multi-disciplinary and capacity-building approach.

Dr Mavin also has affiliations with ESGBOR, the European study group for Lyme borreliosis and the Canadian Lyme Disease Research Network (CLyDRN).