Caister Academic Press

The Worldwide Saga of Lyme Borreliosis

Jorge L. Benach and Juan Carlos García-Moncó
from: Borrelia: Molecular Biology, Host Interaction and Pathogenesis (Edited by: D. Scott Samuels and Justin D. Radolf). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2010)

Abstract

The clinical-epidemiologic studies of a cluster of arthritis in Lyme, Connecticut, intersected with ongoing studies on tick borne diseases in Long Island, New York to set the stage for the discovery of the spirochete agent of Lyme disease. Studies on the microbiology of spirochetes in other parts of the country were instrumental for the cultivation of the newly discovered organism. The multi-national clinical studies in Europe throughout the XXth century on the dermatologic and neurologic manifestations characterized and enlarged the syndrome that we now know as Lyme borreliosis. For reasons that are discussed in this chapter, controversies have arisen among advocate patient groups and the clinicians and scientists that are at the forefront of research in Lyme borreliosis. Polarized opinions on what constitutes this disease and how to treat it have resulted in unprecedented litigation involving medical societies and advocate patient groups with no obvious end in sight read more ...
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