Critical review of studies trying to evaluate the treatment of chronic Lyme disease.

Although antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease is effective in some patients, especially during the early phase of the disease, many patients suffer from chronic disease with persisting and evolving signs and symptoms. The role of persistent microorganisms in the pathophysiology of chronic syndromes following Lyme disease treated according to the current recommendations is still being debated [1–3]. The clinician has no diagnostic test to use in routine practice to check for the persistence of live Borreliae. Several publications show contradictory results regarding the treatment of chronic Lyme disease.