[Lyme disease]

Abstract

Lyme disease (LD) is a worldwide-distributed multisystemic process caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) and transmitted by hard ticks. In fact, it is the most common tick-borne infectious disease in the northern hemisphere. In Spain it is transmitted by Ixodes ricinus ticks and Borrelia garinii is the genoespecies of B. burgdorferi s.l. mostly involved in our area. LD is known as "the last great imitator" due to the broad clinical spectrum that may cause. Except in the case of erythema migrans (pathognomonic feature of the disease), the remaining clinical manifestations should be confirmed using microbiological tests. This review is intended to provide readers a current vision of the etiology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, laboratory diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease in our environment. Controversial aspects arising from the use of non-validated microbiological tests that are being used without scientific rigor are highlighted.

Keywords: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato; Enfermedad de Lyme; España; Ixodes ricinus; Lyme disease; Spain.