Table A3.
Reference human sera for determining the specificity of Bbsl and RFB immunoblots.
| Source | Characteristic | Total No. of Sera | Bbsl Immunoblots (+) | RFB Immunoblots (+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDC Reference Set (n = 25) | Fibromyalgia | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Healthy endemic | 7 | 1 | 0 | |
| Healthy non-endemic | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Mononucleosis | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Multiple sclerosis | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Severe Periodontitis | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Syphilis | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| CAP and NYSHD (n = 42) Autoimmunity and Allergy |
Autoimmune | |||
| ANA (+) | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| ANA (−) | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| DNA (+) | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rheumatoid factor (+) | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rheumatoid factor (−) | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| Allergy (n = 19) | ||||
| IgG (+) | 13 | 0 | 1 | |
| Spec. IgE (+) | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Spec. IgE (−) | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| NYB (n = 21) Viruses and RPR (+) |
Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Cytomegalovirus (CMV) | 5 | 0 | 1 | |
| Hepatitis C virus (HCV) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| RPR (+) | 8 | 2 | 1 | |
| IGeneX (n = 87) | Bartonella henselae infection | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Human granulocytic anaplasmosis | 16 | 0 | 0 | |
| Babesia microti infection | 14 | 0 | 0 | |
| Babesia duncani Infection | 41 | 0 | 0 | |
| Human monocytic ehrlichiosis | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Negative controls | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| False Positives | 175 | 4 | 5 | |
| Specificity | 97.7% | 97.1% | ||
ANA—anti-nuclear antibodies; CAP—College of American Pathologists; CDC—Center for Disease Control; NYB—New York Biologics, Southampton, NY; NYSH—New York State Department of Health; RF—rheumatoid factor; RPR—rapid plasma regain test for syphilis.