Borrelia Burgdorferi Evades the Effects of Ceftriaxone Treatment in a Mouse Model of Lyme Borreliosis
by Heta Yrjänäinen
Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Turku
Turku, Finland 2009
Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a tick-borne infectious disease with variable symptoms. The most common manifestation of LB is an expanding rash on the skin but frequently arthritic or neurological and occasionally cardiac or ocular symptoms are seen. If detected early, most patients are cured with antibiotic treatment but some patients have persistent symptoms after recommended antibiotic treatment. The proportion of these patients has been estimated to be as high as 10 % of all LB patients. Thus far, different theories for the etiology of treatment-resistant LB have been proposed (e.g. infection-induced autoimmunity or chronic infection) but none of them has gained undisputed acceptance.