RESEARCH ARTICLE


Nervous System Involvement in Lyme Borreliosis



Katarina Ogrinc, Vera Maraspin*
Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Ljubljana, Slovenia


Article Metrics

CrossRef Citations:
3
Total Statistics:

Full-Text HTML Views: 3129
Abstract HTML Views: 2477
PDF Downloads: 883
ePub Downloads: 605
Total Views/Downloads: 7094
Unique Statistics:

Full-Text HTML Views: 1707
Abstract HTML Views: 1425
PDF Downloads: 640
ePub Downloads: 429
Total Views/Downloads: 4201



Creative Commons License
© Ogrinc and Maraspin; Licensee Bentham Open.

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 International Public License (CC BY-NC 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode), which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.

* Address correspondence to this author at Japljeva 2, 1525 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Tel: +386 1 5222110; Fax.: +386 1 52224564; Email: vera.maraspin@kclj.si


Abstract

Lyme neuroborreliosis (involvement of the central and/or peripheral nervous system due to infection with B. burgdorferi sensu lato) is the second most frequent manifestation of Lyme borreliosis in Europe, while it comprises the third most common expression of the disease in North America. Early Lyme neuroborreliosis, which is much better defined and far more common than late Lyme neuroborreliosis, is in Europe caused mainly by B. garinii and comprises the classic triad of meningitis, radiculoneuritis and/or cranial neuropathy, while in American patients subacute meningitis with or without cranial neuropathy is the most common manifestation. Among chronic forms of European Lyme neuroborreliosis peripheral neuritis associated with acrodermatitis chronic atrophicans is most frequently observed. A reliable diagnosis of borrelial central nervous system infection requires demonstration of lymphocytic pleocytosis and the evidence of borrelial infection of the central nervous system, established by intrathecal synthesis of specific antibodies and/or isolation of Borreliae from the cerebrospinal fluid. Treatment with oral doxycycline, or parenteral penicillin or third generation cephalosporins (most frequently ceftriaxone) for 2-4 weeks is efficient in the majority of patients..

Keywords: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Borrelia garinii, chronic meningitis, cranial neuropathy, encephalomyelitis, meningitis, meningo-radiculoneuritis, peripheral neuropathy.