scholarly journals Antibiotic Treatment of Animals Infected with Borrelia burgdorferi

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary P. Wormser ◽  
Ira Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Antibiotic Therapy ◽  
Antibiotic Treatment ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Disease Symptoms ◽  
Chronic Lyme Disease ◽  
Methodological Concern ◽  
Uncertain Etiology

SUMMARY Despite resolution of the objective manifestations of Lyme disease after antibiotic treatment, a minority of patients have fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, and/or difficulties with concentration or short-term memory of uncertain etiology; these are called post-Lyme disease symptoms or, in more severe cases, post-Lyme disease syndrome or “chronic Lyme disease.” Several recent studies in which Borrelia burgdorferi-infected animals were treated with antibiotic therapy have demonstrated the presence of PCR positivity for B. burgdorferi DNA in the absence of culture positivity. In mice that were treated with antibiotic therapy, residual spirochetes could be taken up by ticks during a blood meal and could be transmitted to SCID mice. These spirochetes are attenuated; their presence is not associated with either inflammation or disease. In this review the methodology and findings of these studies are critically analyzed, and the significance of the results with regard to human Lyme disease is evaluated, with special emphasis on whether these studies provide useful insights into post-Lyme disease syndrome. A serious methodological concern is the failure to consider the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic properties of the antibiotic in choosing the dosage regimen used. We conclude that there is no scientific evidence to support the hypothesis that such spirochetes, should they exist in humans, are the cause of post-Lyme disease syndrome.

scholarly journals Quantitative Measurement of C6 Antibody following Antibiotic Treatment of Borrelia burgdorferi Antibody-Positive Nonclinical Dogs

2007 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Levy ◽  
Thomas P. O'Connor ◽  
Jancy L. Hanscom ◽  
Paulette Shields ◽  
Leif Lorentzen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Antibiotic Therapy ◽  
Antibiotic Treatment ◽  
Untreated Control ◽  
Quantitative Measurement ◽  
Antibody Test ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Data Points ◽  
Antibody Levels

ABSTRACTThe detection of antibody to theBorrelia burgdorferiC6peptide by use of enzyme-linked immunoassays is a widely accepted method for the diagnosis of Lyme disease spirochete infection in dogs and in humans. Antibody to the C6peptide is highly specific forB. burgdorferiand declines following treatment of dogs and humans exposed toB. burgdorferi. A quantitative assay for determining C6antibody levels was developed and used to measure changes in antibody levels following antibiotic treatment ofB. burgdorferiantibody-positive nonclinical dogs. One hundred thirty-two client-owned dogs were used in the study; 64 were negative, 53 of 68 positive animals received treatment, and 15 were untreated controls. Test sera were collected at 3, 6, and 12 months from seropositive dogs receiving treatment and untreated controls. Dogs in the treated group were assigned to moderate-to-high (≥29 U/ml)- and low (<29 U/ml)-C6-level groups because the change in the C6level after treatment was dependent on the level prior to treatment. There were significant declines in the 30 dogs with moderate-to-high initial C6levels that exceeded the maximal declines of the untreated control dogs in all cases at 6 months (16 data points) and 12 months (29 data points) posttreatment. There was little change in C6level following antibiotic therapy in the 23 dogs with low initial C6levels. The quantitative C6antibody test can be used to measure changes in C6antibody levels following treatment of antibody-positive nonclinical dogs.

scholarly journals Persistent Borrelia Infection in Patients with Ongoing Symptoms of Lyme Disease

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne J. Middelveen ◽  
Eva Sapi ◽  
Jennie Burke ◽  
Katherine R. Filush ◽  
Agustin Franco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Antibiotic Therapy ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Molecular Testing ◽  
Disease Symptoms ◽  
Control Subjects ◽  
Blinded Manner ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Lyme Spirochete

Introduction: Lyme disease is a tickborne illness that generates controversy among medical providers and researchers. One of the key topics of debate is the existence of persistent infection with the Lyme spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, in patients who have been treated with recommended doses of antibiotics yet remain symptomatic. Persistent spirochetal infection despite antibiotic therapy has recently been demonstrated in non-human primates. We present evidence of persistent Borrelia infection despite antibiotic therapy in patients with ongoing Lyme disease symptoms. Materials &amp; Methods: In this pilot study, culture of body fluids and tissues was performed in a randomly selected group of 12 patients with persistent Lyme disease symptoms who had been treated or who were being treated with antibiotics. Cultures were also performed on a group of 10 control subjects without Lyme disease. The cultures were subjected to corroborative microscopic, histopathological and molecular testing for Borrelia organisms in four independent laboratories in a blinded manner. Results: Motile spirochetes identified histopathologically as Borrelia were detected in culture specimens, and these spirochetes were genetically identified as&nbsp;Borrelia burgdorferi&nbsp;by three distinct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Spirochetes identified as&nbsp;Borrelia burgdorferi&nbsp;were cultured from the blood of seven subjects, from the genital secretions of ten subjects, and from a skin lesion of one subject. Cultures from control subjects without Lyme disease were negative for Borrelia using these methods. Conclusions: Using multiple corroborative detection methods, we showed that patients with persistent Lyme disease symptoms may have ongoing spirochetal infection despite antibiotic treatment, similar to findings in non-human primates. The optimal treatment for persistent Borrelia infection remains to be determined.

scholarly journals Efficacy of an Evernimicin (SCH27899) In Vitro and in an Animal Model of Lyme Disease

2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 936-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles S. Pavia ◽  
Gary P. Wormser ◽  
John Nowakowski ◽  
Anthony Cacciapuoti
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Antibiotic Treatment ◽  
Murine Model ◽  
C3h Mice

ABSTRACT The MICs of evernimicin at which 90% of Borrelia burgdorferi patient isolates were inhibited ranged from 0.1 to 0.5 μg/ml. Evernimicin was as effective as ceftriaxone againstB. burgdorferi in a murine model of experimental Lyme disease. As assessed by culturing the urinary bladders of infected C3H mice, no live Borrelia isolates were recoverable following antibiotic treatment.

Antibiotic Treatment for Chronic Lyme Disease—Say No to the DRESS

2016 ◽  
Vol 176 (12) ◽  
pp. 1745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clifford M. Marks ◽  
John E. Nawn ◽  
Julie A. Caplow
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Antibiotic Treatment ◽  
Chronic Lyme Disease

Lyme Arthritis as the Incorrect Diagnosis in Pediatric and Adolescent Fibromyalgia

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-528
Author(s):  
Leonard H. Sigal ◽  
Sondra J. Patella
Keyword(s):  
Differential Diagnosis ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Antibiotic Therapy ◽  
Lyme Arthritis ◽  
Musculoskeletal Complaints ◽  
Common Disorder ◽  
Chronic Lyme Disease ◽  
Incorrect Diagnosis ◽  
Chronic Complaints

In areas endemic for Lyme disease there is increasing concern and anxiety about possible chronic and untreatable manifestations of the disease. The authors have diagnosed fibromyalgia in many patients with chronic musculoskeletal complaints in whom chronic Lyme arthritis had previously been diagnosed as the cause of their joint pains. Fibromyalgia is a common disorder, causing arthralgia (not true arthritis), fatigue, and debility. The repeated and/or long-term antibiotic therapy prescribed for "chronic Lyme disease" is not successful in curing the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Especially in areas where anxiety about Lyme disease is great, it is important to be careful in diagnosing chronic Lyme disease. Fibromyalgia is a potentially treatable and curable cause of chronic complaints and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of "refractory Lyme arthritis."

scholarly journals Eucaryotic cells protect Borrelia burgdorferi from the action of penicillin and ceftriaxone but not from the action of doxycycline and erythromycin.

1996 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1552-1554 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Brouqui ◽  
S Badiaga ◽  
D Raoult
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Antibiotic Treatment ◽  
Intracellular Location

Despite appropriate antibiotic treatment, Lyme disease patients may have relapses or may develop chronic manifestations. The intracellular location of Borrelia burgdorferi suggests that antibiotics that penetrate cells will have greater efficiency. Doxycycline or erythromycin was more effective than penicillin or ceftriaxone in killing B. burgdorferi when the organism was grown in the presence of eucaryotic cells.

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