Oligoarthritis Caused by Borrelia bavariensis , Austria, 2014

摘要

L yme borreliosis is a tickborne disease caused by cer- tain species of spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) complex. In Europe, several genospecies of B. burgdorferi s.l. cause the disease, whereas in North America, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto is the only agent of Lyme borreliosis. This difference causes variability in clinical manifestations (Figure). According to surveil- lance by the US Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion, Lyme arthritis occurs in 30% of Lyme borreliosis pa- tients in the United States (1), whereas in Europe, arthritis is reported in only 3%–7% of patients, as assessed in a few epidemiologic studies (2,3). Direct comparison of the frequencies of clinical manifestations is difficult because of possible differences in case definitions.