Barbour A G
Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284.
Clin Microbiol Rev. 1988 Oct;1(4):399-414. doi: 10.1128/CMR.1.4.399.
Lyme borreliosis (Lyme disease), a common tick-borne disorder of people and domestic animals in North America and Europe, is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Following the discovery and initial propagation of this agent in 1981 came revelations that other tick-associated infectious disorders are but different forms of Lyme borreliosis. A challenge for the clinician and microbiology laboratory is confirmation that a skin rash, a chronic meningitis, an episode of myocarditis, or an arthritic joint is the consequence of B. burgdorferi infection. The diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis may be established by (i) directly observing the spirochete in host fluid or tissue, (ii) recovering the etiologic spirochete from the patient in culture medium or indirectly through inoculation of laboratory animals, or (iii) carrying out serologic tests with the patient's serum or cerebrospinal fluid. The last method, while lacking in discriminatory power, is the most efficacious diagnostic assay for most laboratories at present.
莱姆病螺旋体病（莱姆病）是北美和欧洲人和家畜常见的蜱传疾病，由伯氏疏螺旋体引起。1981年该病原体被发现并初步传播后，有证据表明其他与蜱相关的感染性疾病不过是莱姆病螺旋体病的不同形式。临床医生和微生物实验室面临的一个挑战是确认皮疹、慢性脑膜炎、心肌炎发作或关节炎性关节是否是由伯氏疏螺旋体感染引起的。莱姆病螺旋体病的诊断可以通过以下方式确立：（i）直接在宿主体液或组织中观察螺旋体；（ii）在培养基中从患者体内分离出病原螺旋体，或通过接种实验动物间接分离；（iii）用患者的血清或脑脊液进行血清学检测。最后一种方法虽然缺乏鉴别能力，但目前对大多数实验室来说是最有效的诊断检测方法。
