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Case Reports
. 2021 Jul 30;11(3).
doi: 10.2106/JBJS.CC.20.00898.

Lyme Prosthetic Joint Infection in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Case Report

Muzaffar Ali  1 , Anthony O Kamson  1 , Nadia Hussain  2 , Scott G King  1   3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Lyme Prosthetic Joint Infection in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Case Report

Muzaffar Ali et al. JBJS Case Connect. .

Abstract

Case: An 81-year-old man from the northeastern United States presented with an acute Borrelia burgdorferi prosthetic joint infection (PJI) 15 years after undergoing a right total knee arthroplasty. He had no complications until his recent presentation. He was treated with irrigation and debridement with implant retention. Synovial fluid Lyme polymerase chain reaction and serological tests were positive. Postoperatively, he received oral doxycycline and at 6 weeks was asymptomatic. Four months later, he died of neuroborreliosis vasculitis, a complication of Lyme.

Conclusion: We recommend considering Lyme disease as a cause of culture-negative PJIs in endemic regions. Early surgical treatment may mitigate adverse outcomes of Lyme.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: The Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest forms are provided with the online version of the article (http://links.lww.com/JBJSCC/B581).

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