Ixodes holocyclus (Acarina: Ixodidae) and Ixodes cornuatus (Acarina: Ixodidae) are two tick species found in the more densely populated areas of Australia and are known to be the cause of the neurotoxic disease tick paralysis in humans and mammals. Borreliosis otherwise known as Lyme disease is an emerging infectious disease in humans in Australia. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (Spirochaet...

BACKGROUND Lyme borreliosis is a tick-transmitted, chronic, zoogenous disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete. The clinical picture of Lyme disease is characterized by the variety of tissue and organ involvement and differing severity of symptoms. One of the pathogenic symptoms of early Lyme disease is a skin lesion called erythema migrans. MATERIAL AND METHODS The purpose of our re...

A nested PCR was developed for the detection of Borrelia burgdorferi-specific DNA in the urine of patients with erythema migrans. The target for the nested PCR was a specific region of the flagellin gene; the detection limit was less than five organisms of B. burgdorferi including all three species B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii, and B. garinii. A prospective, controlled, blinded stud...

An early feature of Lyme disease is the distinctive erythema chronicum migrans. Bateman and Lawton described nine patients with Lyme disease who had unilateral or bilateral facial nerve palsies, and in three of these the palsy was associated with this skin lesion.' The induration and erythema seen in my patients may have been those of erythema chronicum migrans. Seven of the patients described ...

Recently, a number of refinements in diagnostic modalities for detection of Borrelia burgdorferi infection have been developed. These include large-volume blood cultures, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques, and 2-stage serologic testing. In the present study, we compared 6 diagnostic modalities in 47 adult patients who had a clinical diagnosis of erythema migrans. Quantitat...

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in Europe. Erythema migrans (EM), an early, localised skin rash, is its most common presentation. Dissemination of the bacteria can lead to more severe manifestations including skin, neurological, cardiac, musculoskeletal and ocular manifestations. Comparison of LB incidence rates in the European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (E...