First isolation of Borrelia burgdorferi from an iris biopsy.

J Clin Neuroophthalmol

Max v. Pettenkofer Institut für Hygiene u. Medizinische Mikrobiologie, LM-Universität München, Germany.

Published: September 1993

AI Article Synopsis

  • The study reports on six patients who showed persistent infection of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease, even after undergoing antibiotic treatment.
  • B. burgdorferi was found in samples from the iris, skin, and cerebrospinal fluid, indicating that the infection can remain active in the body despite negative antibody tests.
  • Results suggest that patients may experience ongoing Lyme disease either without significant symptoms or without detectable antibodies, highlighting the complexity of diagnosing and treating this infection.

Article Abstract

The persistence of Borrelia burgdorferi in six patients is described. Borrelia burgdorferi has been cultivated from iris biopsy, skin biopsy, and cerebrospinal fluid also after antibiotic therapy for Lyme borreliosis. Lyme Serology: IgG antibodies to B. burgdorferi were positive, IgM negative in four patients; in two patients both IgM and IgG were negative. Antibiotic therapy may abrogate the antibody response to the infection as shown by our results. Patients may have subclinical or clinical disease without diagnostic antibody titers. Persistence of B. burgdorferi cannot be excluded when the serum is negative for antibodies against it.

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