Enfermedad de Lyme en el Perú. Una revisión clínica y epidemiológica

Abstract

This is a critical and organized review of all the available and updated information on Lyme disease and Borrelia infection in Peru. Several studies of positive serology to Borrelia burgdorferi and several cases of Lyme disease have been reported in Peru in the last two decades. New information suggests that new species of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato do exist in South America, and possibly in Peru. Future genetic and microbiology studies in this part of the continent, not only in cases with an indeterminate Western blot but in vectors and possible reservoirs as well, are necessary to measure the extent and clinical implications of these new Borrelia species.

Lyme disease: an important vector-borne bacterial zoonotic disease with emerging concern

“…14 The typical skin lesion of LB, i.e., erythema chronicum migrans (now, Erythema migrans), is the term initially used by Swedish physician Arvid Afzelius in 1909. 8 Erythema migrans looks like bull's eye rash, occurring 3-30 days after an infected tick bites the person. The rash may appear like a ringworm infection but differs due to the warmness of the lesion without any itching.…”

“…Bite of the infected tick, especially of the Ixodes genus, is the primary route of disease transmission to humans. 7,8 There are three stages of pathogenesis: early stage or the localized disease, second stage or early dissemination, and third stage or late dissemination. Non-specific flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, and muscle pain could be the primary symptoms of the disease.…”

Panuveítis no granulomatosa en un paciente colombiano:

“…En este caso, la interpretación de la prueba no se realizó con énfasis en el número de bandas, sino en la positividad de bandas individuales, que carecen de valor diagnóstico por sí solas (7). Por otro lado, Cervantes, en su revisión de literatura sobre la enfermedad de Lyme en el Perú, puntualiza que, en cada caso de diagnóstico de enfermedad de Lyme, debe indicarse el kit de ELISA y Western blot empleados, debido a la alta variedad en la sensibilidad y especificidad entre pruebas comerciales, sin embargo, en este caso se desconoce la prueba empleada por los autores (8). Como conclusión, al constituir la enfermedad de Lyme un diagnóstico muy atípico e infrecuente, sugerimos la posibilidad de que este caso probablemente correspondió a otro agente etiológico o a una enfermedad autoinmune y no a Borrelia burgdorferi.…”

Clinical Manifestations of European Borreliosis on the Skin in Acute, Subacute and Chronic Disease

“…Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common form of infection in Europe ( 1 ). Global climate change has widened the range of tick vectors, and LB remains an important health problem for decades.…”