Lyme borreliosis

Abstract Lyme borreliosis is a zoonotic bacterial infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, a spirochaetal agent transmitted by certain species of Ixodes ticks. Small rodents and birds serve as reservoirs. It is the most common vector-borne infection in the United States of America and an important infection in many countries throughout the temperate regions of Europe and northern Asia, where a wider variety of borrelia species account for differences in clinical manifestations in Eurasia compared with the United States. The most common and earliest clinical manifestation is erythema migrans, a distinctive cutaneous lesion that occurs at the site of deposition of the spirochaete by the vector tick. Most people treated for Lyme borreliosis respond well to a 2-week course of antibiotic therapy. Symptomatic treatment is recommended for patients who have or develop subjective complaints of unclear aetiology despite successful resolution of the objective manifestation of Lyme borreliosis following antibiotic therapy.