title: Detection of spirochaetal DNA simultaneously in skin biopsies, peripheral blood and urine from patients with erythema migrans.
abstract: Lyme borreliosis is an emerging zoonosis transmitted by infected hard-bodied ticks. The disease is multisystemic. In the initial stage its typical manifestation is the erythema migrans, a cutaneous lesion that occurs in up to 90% of patients. In order to investigate the presence of the specific agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, in the early stages of the disease, DNA from skin biopsies, urine and peripheral blood of 30 patients with clinically documented erythema migrans and without apparent systemic involvement was analysed by polymerase chain reaction. Borrelia DNA in both blood and skin biopsies was detected in 23 patients, while in 9 patients it was discovered in urine and skin biopsies. These results demonstrate that Borrelia DNA is detectable systemically also in patients with early Lyme borreliosis and strongly suggest a possible dissemination of the causative agents even when only a local infection is assumed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical, Morphological and Technological Sciences, University of Trieste, Cattinara Hospital and ICGEB-International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pauluzzi
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonin
authors.forename: Maria Angeles
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gonzalez Inchaurraga
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stanta
authors.forename: Giusto
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Trevisan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology*; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D015787:Erythema Chronicum Migrans / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011336:Probability; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016482:Urinalysis
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial