| Lyme disease descibes the clinical syndrome caused by infection with ''[[Borrelia burgdorferi]]'' sensu lato in humans, dogs, horses, cattle and sheep. The disease is named after the town of [http://townlyme.org/ Lyme] in Connecticut, USA where clinical cases were first described in humans in 1975. Since its identification, analysis of historical samples of ticks has shown that ''B. burgdorferi'' has been present in Europe and North America since at least the start of the twentieth Century<ref>Marshall WF 3rd, Telford SR 3rd, Rys PN, Rutledge BJ, Mathiesen D, Malawista SE, Spielman A, Persing DH. '''Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi DNA in museum specimens of Peromyscus leucopus.''' ''J Infect Dis. 1994 Oct;170(4):1027-32.''</ref><ref>Hubbard MJ, Baker AS, Cann KJ. '''Distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. spirochaete DNA in British ticks (Argasidae and Ixodidae) since the 19th century, assessed by PCR.''' ''Med Vet Entomol. 1998 Jan;12(1):89-97.''</ref>. | | Lyme disease descibes the clinical syndrome caused by infection with ''[[Borrelia burgdorferi]]'' sensu lato in humans, dogs, horses, cattle and sheep. The disease is named after the town of [http://townlyme.org/ Lyme] in Connecticut, USA where clinical cases were first described in humans in 1975. Since its identification, analysis of historical samples of ticks has shown that ''B. burgdorferi'' has been present in Europe and North America since at least the start of the twentieth Century<ref>Marshall WF 3rd, Telford SR 3rd, Rys PN, Rutledge BJ, Mathiesen D, Malawista SE, Spielman A, Persing DH. '''Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi DNA in museum specimens of Peromyscus leucopus.''' ''J Infect Dis. 1994 Oct;170(4):1027-32.''</ref><ref>Hubbard MJ, Baker AS, Cann KJ. '''Distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. spirochaete DNA in British ticks (Argasidae and Ixodidae) since the 19th century, assessed by PCR.''' ''Med Vet Entomol. 1998 Jan;12(1):89-97.''</ref>. |
| Prognostication is difficult as the clinical presentation varies so widely between animals. With the exception of those animals with Lyme nephritis, the response to treatment is generally good, even if the bacteria are eliminated. | | Prognostication is difficult as the clinical presentation varies so widely between animals. With the exception of those animals with Lyme nephritis, the response to treatment is generally good, even if the bacteria are eliminated. |