Using the polymerase chain reaction to Borrelia burgdorferi infection
By Linda on Feb 21, 2011 in Infections
Excerpt:
Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme Borreliosis, an infectious
multisystemic disease transmitted to humans by the Ixodes ticks bite. A possible
association of Borrelia burgdorferi with localized scleroderma has been
postulated. However, published data do not provide unequivocal results. Previous
serologic analysis of patients with localized scleroderma in South American
countries (including Venezuela), have been reported as yielding some reactivity.
The present study looked for evidence of Borrelia burgdorferi infection in
venezuelan patients with localized scleroderma, using the polymerase chain
reaction to analyze 21 skin samples of patients with this skin condition. The
results were negative in all the samples studied. Our data do not support an
association of Borrelia burgdorferi infection and the sclerotic lesions of
localized scleroderma; but do not rule out the possibility of a relationship
between localized scleroderma and an unknown geno-specie of Borrelia burgdorferi
sensu lato complex, a different Borrelia specie or a different spirochetal
organism, as the etiological agents of the skin lesions in this area.
