Case control study: Serological evidence that Borrelia miyamotoi disease occurs nationwide in Japan

Since 2011, Borrelia miyamotoi disease (BMD) has been reported in five countries in the northern hemisphere. The causative agent of BMD is transmitted by Ixodes ticks, which are also vectors of Lyme disease borreliae. In this study, we examined 459 cases of clinically suspected Lyme disease (LD group), and found twelve cases that were seropositive for the glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (GlpQ) antigen derived from B. miyamotoi. The retrospective surveillance revealed that the seroprevalence of anti-GlpQ in the LD group was significantly higher than in a healthy cohort. Seropositive cases were observed from spring through autumn when ticks are active, and the cases were geographically widespread, being found in Hokkaido-Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, and Kyushu-Okinawa regions. Seropositive cases for GlpQ were most frequent in the Chubu region (6.3%) where B. miyamotoi has been found in Ixodes ticks. Out of the twelve cases that were found in the LD group, three cases exhibited concomitant seropositivity to Lyme disease borreliae by western blot assay. This is the first report of serological surveillance for BMD in Japan, and we conclude that BMD occurs nationwide.