Failure to Identify Borrelia burgdorferi in Southern California Ticks by DNAAmplification. (Reannouncement with New Availability Information)

摘要

In the absence of erythema migrans or late systemic sequelae, the diagnosis oflyme borreliosis after tick exposure remains difficult. Problems include the nonspecific nature of patient complaints, lack of serologic standardization, and difficulty propagating the spirochete in artificial culture medium. It was recently suggested that prophylactic antibodies given after tick exposure may be cost effective in areas where Borrelia Burgdorferi is hyperendemic. Knowledge of the prevalence patterns of B. burgdorferi infection in potential tick vectors would be useful in assessing the risk of Lyme borreliosis in exposed patients and the utility of antimicrobial prophylaxis. We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to screen Southern California ticks for B. Burgdorferi.