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Borrelia burgdorferi: a protagonist in Lyme disease, a bystander in morphoea?

Publication at Second Faculty of Medicine |
2002

Abstract

In sum, it is still not known how Borreliae participate in the evolution of morphoea lesions and further studies need to be done. Dermatologists should probably be more flexible when examining patients and considering their symptoms and looking at skin lesions.

Careful observation and follow up could help us to answer why in some morphoea patients acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans develops later on and/or why some extracutaneous manifestations disappear following antibiotic therapy. In conclusion, we would like to share our experience on subjects with morphoea.

In all of our cases we look for specific antibodies to B. burgdorferi (using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblot technique with sonicated B. burgdorferi antigens prepared from isolates from Czech subjects) in skin biopsy specimens that are cultivated and investigated for borrelial DNA. Antibiotic therapy is administered to all subjects with positive findings, as well as to all those with acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans.