Evidence map›Paper›PMID 19565522›Full record

ArticleArthritis and rheumatism2009

Analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi genotypes in patients with Lyme arthritis: High frequency of ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer type 1 strains in antibiotic-refractory arthritis.

Kathryn L Jones, Gail A McHugh, Lisa J Glickstein, Allen C Steere

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Arthritis and rheumatism, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
44citing papers in PubMed
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

44 citing papers in PubMed, 74 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Xenodiagnosis to Search for Borrelia burgdorferi After Antibiotic Treatment of Lyme Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026
    Trial
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Lyme Arthritis: A 50-Year Journey.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2024
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Lyme Arthritis.Infectious disease clinics of North America · 2022
    Review
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Laboratory Diagnosis of Lyme Borreliosis.Clinical microbiology reviews · 2021
    Review
  19. Lyme Disease in Humans.Current issues in molecular biology · 2021
    Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Kathryn L JonesHarvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
Gail A McHugh
Lisa J Glickstein
Allen C Steere
Harvard University · USMassachusetts General Hospital · US

Funding

Research Training in Rheumatology at Massachusetts General HospitalT32AR007258 · NIAMS · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI ANDREW D LUSTER · 1986 to 2026
$6.9M
LYME ARTHRITIS: A NEW EPIDEMIC DISEASER01AR020358 · NIAMS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI STEERE, ALLEN C · 1986 to 2010
$4.0M
NIAMS NIH HHS AR-007258NIAMS NIH HHS AR-20358NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR020358NIAMS NIH HHS T32 AR007258
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveMost of the Borrelia burgdorferi genotypes have been isolated from erythema migrans (EM) skin lesions in patients with Lyme disease. OspC type K strains, which are 16S-23S ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer type 2 (RST2) strains, are most commonly recovered, but a higher percentage of OspC type A strains (RST1), the next most commonly recovered type, is detectable in blood. The goal of this study was to determine the B burgdorferi genotypes in the joints of patients with Lyme arthritis.

methodsJoint fluid samples from 124 patients seen over a 30-year period were analyzed for OspC types by semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing, and for RSTs by nested PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. These results were correlated with clinical outcome.

resultsOspC and RST genotypes were identified in 49 of the 124 joint fluid samples (40%). In these 49 samples, OspC type K strains (RST2) were identified in 21 samples (43%), OspC type A strains (RST1) were identified in 11 samples (22%), and 8 other OspC types and all 3 RSTs were identified among the remaining 17 samples (35%). However, among the 17 patients who had been treated with antibiotics according to current guidelines, all 7 patients who were infected with RST1 strains had antibiotic-refractory arthritis, compared with 4 of 6 patients infected with RST2 strains and only 1 of 4 infected with RST3 strains (P = 0.03).

conclusionMost of the B burgdorferi genotypes, particularly OspC type K (RST2), were identified in the joint fluid of patients with Lyme arthritis, and the genotype frequencies found in joints reflected those in EM skin lesions. However, RST1 strains were most frequent in patients with antibiotic-refractory arthritis. Our results help to further the understanding of the differential pathogenicity of strains of B burgdorferi.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAgedAnti-Bacterial AgentsBacterial Typing TechniquesBorrelia burgdorferiChildDNA, BacterialDNA, IntergenicDNA, Ribosomal SpacerDrug Resistance, BacterialErythema Chronicum MigransFemaleGenotypeHumansJointsAnti-Bacterial AgentsDNA, BacterialDNA, IntergenicDNA, Ribosomal Spacer

Identifiers

PMID19565522
PMCPMC2753280
OpenAlexW1972421342

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.