Lyme neuroborreliosis

Abstract

A broad variability in the clinical manifestations is observed in the European and North American borrelioses. This is dependent on bacterial strain differences in virulence and organotropism, and on different immune responses to Borrelia burgdorferi of the host in these areas. Experimental neuroborreliosis has given insights into mediators and molecular mechanisms of inflammation induced by B. burgdorferi. Histopathological investigations have described the different patterns of injury in the peripheral and central nervous systems. The classic symptoms of neuroborreliosis have been supplemented by new clinical syndromes and neuropsychological investigations. In clinical trials, the efficacy and cost effectiveness of recommended oral and intravenous antibiotic therapies have been compared in early Lyme disease, arthritis and acute disseminated Lyme disease. Curr Opin Neurol 11:253–258. © 1998 Lippincott–Raven Publishers