title: Survival of Borrelia burgdorferi in antibiotically treated patients with Lyme borreliosis.
abstract: The persistence of Borrelia burgdorferi in patients treated with antibiotics is described. The diagnosis of Lyme disease is based on clinical symptoms, epidemiology and specific IgG and IgM antibody titers to B. burgdorferi in serum. Antibiotic therapy may abrogate the antibody response to the infection as shown in our patients. B. burgdorferi may persist as shown by positive culture in MKP-medium; patients may have subclinical or clinical disease without diagnostic antibody titers to B. burgdorferi. We conclude that early stage of the disease as well as chronic Lyme disease with persistence of B. burgdorferi after antibiotic therapy cannot be excluded when the serum is negative for antibodies against B. burgdorferi.
authors.affiliation: Neurologische Klinik Grosshadern, München, FR Germany.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Preac-Mursic
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Pfister
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wilske
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baumann
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prokop
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents