Abstract
The diagnosis of Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, is clinical but frequently supported by laboratory tests. Lyme arthritis is now less frequently seen than at the time of its discovery. However, it still occurs, and it is important to recognize this, the differential diagnoses, and how laboratory tests can be useful and their limitations. The most frequently used diagnostic tests are antibody based. However, antibody testing still suffers from many drawbacks and is only an indirect measure of exposure. In contrast, evolving direct diagnostic methods can indicate active infection.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 18 |
Journal | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2021 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Immunology and Microbiology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Infectious Diseases
Keywords
- Antibiotic refractory arthritis
- Antibodies
- Borrelia burgdorferi
- Direct testing
- Disease modifying antirheumatic drugs
- Indirect testing
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Lyme arthritis
- Lyme disease
- Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors