A Practical Approach to the Diagnosis of Lyme Borreliosis: From Clinical Heterogeneity to Laboratory Methods

Giusto Trevisan; Serena Bonin; Maurizio Ruscio

doi:10.3389/fmed.2020.00265

A Practical Approach to the Diagnosis of Lyme Borreliosis: From Clinical Heterogeneity to Laboratory Methods

Front Med (Lausanne). 2020 Jul 23:7:265. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2020.00265. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Giusto Trevisan¹, Serena Bonin¹, Maurizio Ruscio²

Affiliations

¹ DSM-Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
² ASU GI-Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina, Trieste, Italy.

Abstract

Clinical evaluation of Lyme Borreliosis (LB) is the starting point for its diagnosis. The patient's medical history and clinical symptoms are fundamental for disease recognition. The heterogeneity in clinical manifestations of LB can be related to different causes, including the different strains of Borrelia, possible co-infection with other tick transmitted pathogens, and its interactions with the human host. This review aims at describing the heterogeneous symptoms of Lyme Borreliosis, as well as offering a practical approach for recognition of the disease, both in terms of clinical features and diagnostic/research tools.

Keywords: Borrelia; Lyme disease; clinical heterogeneity; clinical symptoms; diagnosis.

Publication types

Review