Med. praxi. 2017;14(2):77-80 | DOI: 10.36290/med.2017.015

Diagnosis and treatment of Lyme Disease

MUDr. Dita Smíšková, Ph.D.^{1, 2}, doc. MUDr. Dušan Pícha, CSc.¹

1Klinika infekčních nemocí 2. LF UK a Nemocnice Na Bulovce, Praha, 2Klinika infekčních, parazitárních a tropických nemocí, Nemocnice Na Bulovce, Praha

Lyme borreliosis is a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks that affects various organs and tissues. Diagnostic difficulty is caused

mainly by diversity of clinical manifestations and low availability and applicability of direct laboratory methods. Identification of

specific IgM and IgG antibodies is still the basis of laboratory diagnostics nowadays. However, serological tests merely confirm

contact with the disease, but do not correlate with activity of the infection. To make the right diagnosis, thorough evaluation of

the clinical manifestation as well as laboratory results is necessary. Tetracyclines, penicillins, cephalosporins and macrolides are

the main groups of antibiotics effective against Lyme disease. Unsatisfactory clinical response to antibiotic treatment should lead

to reevaluation of the diagnosis and consideration of other, non-infectious causes of the symptoms. Repeating or prolonging of

the antibiotic treatment is not recommended.

Keywords: lyme disease, erythema migrans, Bannwarth syndrome, neuroborreliosis, diagnostics, treatment

Published: May 1, 2017  Show citation