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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Detecting the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia Burgdorferi, in Ticks Using Nested PCR
Published on: February 4, 2018
[Borreliosis--simultaneous Lyme carditis and psychiatric disorders--case report]
Marta Legatowicz-Koprowska1, Aneta I Gziut, Ewa Walczak
1Institute of Rheumatology in Warsaw, Department of Pathology, Poland. mlkoprowska@gmail.com
Abstract:
Borreliosis is a multisystemic disease transmitted by ticks. Its diagnosis still remains a challenge because of the varied clinical picture and of difficulties in detection of the etiological agent (Borrelia burgdorferi). We report a case of a 53-years-old woman admitted to the Clinic of Cardiology due to life-threatening arhythmias with simultaneous deficits in concentration and memory. A suspicion of borreliosis was driven from the presence of cardiac symptoms as well as of psychiatric and from the case histories of a tick bite. The diagnosis was confirmed both by specific serological test and endomyocardial biopsy which revealed spirochetes. The patient responded to treatment with doxycyclin and ceftriaxone. Cardiologic disorders retreated entirely, while cognitive deficits did only partly.
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