title: Critical analysis of treatment trials of rhesus macaques infected with Borrelia burgdorferi reveals important flaws in experimental design.
abstract: A critical analysis of two treatment trials of Chinese rhesus macaques infected with Borrelia burgdorferi indicates that insufficient attention was placed on documenting the blood levels, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamic parameters of the antibiotics used in this host. Consequently, it is impossible to conclude that the findings have validity in judging the efficacy of doxycycline or ceftriaxone for the treatment of Borrelia burgdorferi in this animal model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595, USA. gary_wormser@nymc.edu
authors.forename: Gary P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Wormser
authors.forename: Phillip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Pachner
authors.forename: Ira
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Eugene D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Shapiro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D002443:Ceftriaxone / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D002443:Ceftriaxone; D004318:Doxycycline