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. 2022 Mar 22:9:737854.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.737854. eCollection 2022.

Emergence of Lyme Disease on the French Riviera, a Retrospective Survey

Jacques Sevestre  1   2 , Antoine Benichou  3 , Vanessa Rio  4 , Pascal Delaunay  1 , Géraldine Gonfrier  5 , Cécile Martaresche  6 , Virginie Carlo  4 , Sarah Nakam  4 , Véronique Mondain  4 , Michel Carles  4 , Pierre Yves Jeandel  3 , Jacques Durant  4
Affiliations

Emergence of Lyme Disease on the French Riviera, a Retrospective Survey

Jacques Sevestre et al. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Background: The French Riviera has been declared free of Lyme Borreliosis (LB) for years. Many patients are referred for presumed LB, sometimes with atypical clinical signs and/or doubtful serology, calling the diagnosis into question.

Methods: Patients were assessed for LB diagnosis, depending on clinical presentation, laboratory findings, and further examination by other medical professionals.

Results: Among 255 patients, 45 (18%) were classified as confirmed LB cases [including 28 ongoing LB (10%) and 17 past LB (8%)], and for 210 (82%) a Lyme borreliosis diagnosis was ruled out. Among ongoing LB, 56% had been exposed to or bitten by ticks, exclusively in rural locations of the Alpes-Maritimes. As a result of the diagnostic procedure, 132 (52%) patients had been treated. An alternative diagnosis was established for 134 (52%) patients, covering a wide range of conditions, including mainly psychological (28%) and neurological conditions (25%) or inflammatory and systemic diseases (22%).

Conclusions: Our results strongly suggest the endemicity of LB in the Alpes-Maritimes region. Confirmed LB accounted for 18% of patients while 52% were diagnosed with other conditions.

Keywords: Borrelia; French Riviera; Ixodes ricinus; Lyme; borreliosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

CM was employed by company SYNLAB Barla GmbH. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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