Borreliosis Tick-borne

Tick-borne borreliosis: Symptoms, treatment, prognosis and prevention

Tick-borne borreliosis, also known as Lyme disease, is a disease caused by spirochetes and transmitted by ticks. This disease is characterized by early skin lesions and erythema migrans, and weeks and months later, damage to the nervous system, heart and joints can occur.

Etiology and pathogenesis:
The causative agent of tick-borne borreliosis is the spirochete Borrelia Burgdorferi. The source of infection is mouse-like rodents, and the carrier is ixodid ticks. When a tick bites, the pathogen enters the human body, which leads to the development of ring-shaped erythema at the site of the bite. The pathogen then spreads hematogenously and lymphogenously to internal organs, joints and lymphatic formations, causing active irritation of the immune system and the development of a generalized and local humoral and cellular hyperimmune response.

Symptoms and course:
The incubation period of the disease lasts from 1 to 20 days, but most often 7-10 days. Characterized by a long, often chronic course. The acute period of the disease is characterized by fever, myalgia and arthralgia. The most typical symptom is ring-shaped erythema with a diameter of up to 20 cm or more at the site of the tick bite. Erythema may also appear on other areas of the skin (erythema migrans). Regional lymphadenitis is noted. After a few weeks, lesions of the nervous system develop (meningitis, encephalitis, myelitis, polyradiculoneuritis) and myocarditis, manifested mainly by disturbances of atrioventricular conduction. A few months after the onset of the disease, the development of polyarthritis (characterized by recurrent oligoarthritis of large joints), chronic lesions of the central nervous system (chronic encephalomyelitis, spastic paraparesis, ataxia, memory disorders, etc.), skin lesions (widespread dermatitis, atrophic acrodermatitis, scleroderma-like changes) is possible.

Diagnosis:
To establish a diagnosis of tick-borne borreliosis, clinical and epidemiological data are used; isolation of the pathogen from the blood or cerebrospinal fluid, as well as immunological tests such as ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and VELIA (detection of antibodies by electrochemiluminescence) can also be performed.

Treatment:
Treatment for tick-borne borreliosis should be prescribed immediately after diagnosis. Antibiotics such as doxycycline, amoxicillin or ceftriaxone are used first. The duration of treatment depends on the severity of the disease and ranges from 10 days to 4 weeks. If the nervous system is affected, additional treatment such as glucocorticosteroids may be required.

Forecast and prevention:
The prognosis of tick-borne borreliosis depends on the severity of the disease and the timeliness of starting treatment. With timely treatment, most patients make a full recovery. However, in some cases, chronic effects such as damage to the nervous system or joints may occur.

Prevention of tick-borne borreliosis includes the use of protective equipment, such as repellents, when hiking in the forest and in nature, checking the body for ticks after walks in nature, as well as observing the rules of hygiene and personal prevention when working in nature. If you find an attached tick, you must remove it as quickly as possible and consult a doctor for additional consultation and observation.