Antibiotic susceptibility of Borrelia burgdorferi in vitro and in animal models

Abstract

The development of a rational antibiotic therapy for Lyme borreliosis has been hampered by the lack of reliable microbiologic or serologic criteria for diagnosis or cure. In studies of the treatment, the clinical response, has been used as the primary indicator of efficacy. Studies often differ in their criteria for a successful outcome, and it is not clear whether persistent symptoms are due to incomplete eradication of the pathogen, to a post-infectious syndrome, or to erroneous diagnosis in the first place. Thus, laboratory experiments are needed as a complement to clinical trials.