The Widening Gyre: Controversies in Lyme Disease
Adriana Marques, Jacob E. Lemieux and Linden T. Hu
from: Lyme Disease and Relapsing Fever Spirochetes: Genomics, Molecular Biology, Host Interactions and Disease Pathogenesis (Edited by: Justin D. Radolf and D. Scott Samuels). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2021) Pages: 685-702.
Abstract
In this chapter we explore controversies surrounding the issues of chronic Lyme disease (CLD) and post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLD) syndrome. We describe each of the terms as they are used in the literature and then will look at the data supporting (or not supporting) some of the most prominent hypotheses for their etiology. Among the areas we will discuss are roles in PTLD for autoimmunity, immune dysregulation or maladaptive host responses, the persistence of bacterial remnants that cause chronic immune stimulation; and chronic infection by Borrelia burgdorferi. Our examination of the data shows that there still remains much to be known about CLD and PTLD, and we provide recommendations for future research to try to resolve the controversies read more ...
