Author/Editor		Maraspin, V; Ružić-Sabljić, E; Strle, F; Cimperman, J; Jereb, M; Preac-Muršić, V
Title		Persistence of Borrelia burgdorferi after treatment with antibiotics
Translated title		Perzinstenca Borreliae burgdorferi po antibiotični terapiji
Type		članek
Source		Alpe Adria Microbiol J
Vol. and No.		Letnik 4, št. 3
Publication year		1995
Volume		str. 211-6
Language		eng
Abstract		The study describes the persistence of Borrelia burgdorferi in the skin of patients with erythema migrans treated with antibiotics. In 26 adult patients with typical erythema migrans, examined in 1990 and 1991 at the Lyme Borreliosis Outpatients' Clinic of the University Department of Infectious Diseases in Ljubljana, B. burgdorferi was isolated from the margin of the skin lesion before antibiotic therapy. The patients were then treated with azithromycin (15 patients) or with doxycline (11 patients). Approximately three months later biopsy was repeated in the same area and in five patients, B. burgdorferi was again isolated: four out of these five patients had been treated with doxycycline and one with azithromycin. The skin lesions in these patients disappeared completely on the second, third, tenth, evelenth and fourteenth day after the commencement of therapy. The patients felt well and the serological tests on B. burgdorferi were negative. It was found that B. burgdorferi can persist in apparently normal-looking skin in spite of antibiotic therapy and that patients may remain asymptomatic without developing any specific antibodies against B. burgdorferi.
Descriptors		BORRELIA BURGDORFERI SKIN ERYTHEMA CHRONICUM MIGRANS BIOPSY LYME BORRELIOSIS FOLLOW-UP STUDIES