LYME DISEASE PACKAGE

Lyme disease is an infectious transmissible disease that is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks. The disease goes through several clinical stages and affects different organs and systems.
The causative agents of Lyme disease are several species of Borrelia -Borrelia are microorganisms that belong to the family. Spirochaetaceae. They are Gram-negative bacteria with a spiral shape. They possess flagella through which they perform a variety of movements – rotational , back and forth movements, folding and unfolding. The antigenic structure of borrelia is highly variable, which is an obstacle to the development of reliable diagnostic methods for their detection. They are highly demanding to culture and difficult to isolate
After a bite from an infected tick, in the early phases of infection, borrelia disseminate throughout the body. Initially they reach the skin and lymphatic structures and subsequently, via the bloodstream, to skeletal muscle, joints and various organs and systems. Pathomorphological changes depend on the stage of the disease and the organ involvement. Affected are:

• skin, lymph ducts, sebaceous and sweat glands;
• musculoskeletal system – arthritis, bursitis, myositis, tendinitis – inflammatory changes of muscles, joints and surrounding soft tissue structures;
• nervous system – a variety of neurological deviations;
• cardiovascular system – rhythm-conduction disorders, heart failure, etc. Lyme disease proceeds in stages with periods of exacerbation and of remission of the diverse clinical symptomatology. The disease begins with skin changes – erythema migrans and manifestations of general intoxication – stage 1. After a few weeks or months, stage 2 develops – affecting the nervous, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. Years later, chronic lesions of the skin, nervous system and joints develop – stage 3.

The incubation period – the time from the bite of a tick to the appearance of the first symptoms is from 3 to 33 days

The diagnosis of Lyme disease is complex and difficult, especially in the late phases of the disease due to the varied and multiple clinical symptomatology. Due to the strong demanding nature of borrelia, their isolation in microbiological examination is difficult. Diagnosis is based on clinical evidence of polymorphic involvement of various organs and systems and demonstration of specific antibodies in serum by immunofluorescence, ELISA, etc. IgM class antibodies appear in the initial few weeks of the disease, IgG class antibodies gradually increase and persist in the serum for a long time after cure.
In addition, serological reactions may be negative at the onset of the disease. Therefore, microbiological and laboratory investigations should be interpreted in complex with the clinical picture and the course of the disease.

Lyme disease-treatment –
If caught in time during the first stage, Lyme disease is completely treatable.

Treatment is carried out with antibiotics from the group of penicillin, tetracycline, azithromycin, cephalosporins for a period of 3 weeks.

Periodic serologic tests over a 2-month period are needed to monitor antibody titer and treatment effect.