Lyme borreliosis in Texas.

Lyme borreliosis is a protean infection caused by B burgdorferi, a recently recognized arthropod-borne spirochete. The disease is generally acquired during warm weather, and its onset is characterized by a skin lesion, EM, and flulike symptoms. Neurologic, cardiac, and/or rheumatologic abnormalities may emerge weeks, months, or years later. In the absence of the pathognomonic skin lesion, determination of antibody response is currently the most practical laboratory aid in diagnosis. However, clinical judgement is necessary for the correct interpretation of laboratory results because false-positive and false-negative results are common. Antibiotics remain the mainstay of therapy. Longer courses of antibiotic therapy than those previously recommended may be needed to obtain a cure, particularly in later stages of the illness.