NYMC Faculty Publications
Comparison of Lyme Disease in the United States and Europe
Author Type(s)
Faculty
Journal Title
Emerging Infectious Diseases
First Page
2017
Last Page
2024
Document Type
Review Article
Publication Date
8-2021
Department
Medicine
Abstract
Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis, is the most common tickborne disease in the United States and Europe. In both locations, Ixodes species ticks transmit the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato bacteria species responsible for causing the infection. The diversity of Borrelia species that cause human infection is greater in Europe; the 2 B. burgdorferi s.l. species collectively responsible for most infections in Europe, B. afzelii and B. garinii, are not found in the United States, where most infections are caused by B. burgdorferi sensu stricto. Strain differences seem to explain some of the variation in the clinical manifestations of Lyme disease, which are both minor and substantive, between the United States and Europe. Future studies should attempt to delineate the specific virulence factors of the different species of B. burgdorferi s.l. responsible for these variations in clinical features.
Recommended Citation
Marques, A. R., Strle, F., & Wormser, G. P. (2021). Comparison of Lyme Disease in the United States and Europe. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 27 (8), 2017-2024. https://doi.org/34286689
