title: Common misconceptions about Lyme disease.
abstract: Lyme disease, infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, is a focally endemic tick-transmitted zoonosis. During the 3 decades since the responsible spirochete was identified, a series of misconceptions and misunderstandings have become widely prevalent, leading to frequent misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. Persistent misconceptions concern the reliability of available diagnostic tools, the signs and symptoms of nervous system involvement, the appropriate choice and duration of antimicrobial therapy, the curability of the infection, and the cause of symptoms that may persist in some patients after treatment. Concern about disparate perspectives led the Institute of Medicine to review the subject. In this article we review the principal misconceptions, discussing their origins and the best currently available scientific evidence related to each one.
authors: Department of Neurosciences, Overlook Medical Center, Atlantic Health System, Summit, NJ 07902, USA. john.halperin@atlantichealth.org
authors: John J
authors: JJ
authors: Halperin
authors: Phillip
authors: P
authors: Baker
authors: Gary P
authors: GP
authors: Wormser
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D015787:Erythema Chronicum Migrans / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D020852:Lyme Neuroborreliosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D012698:Serologic Tests
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents