[Bilateral acute confluent disseminated choroiditis in Borrelia burgdorferi infection]

Two patients with bilateral extensive confluent choroidal lesions, exudative retinal detachments, positive lyme serology and a typical history are documented: A 32-year-old woman presented 14 days after a "flu-like" illness with bilateral acute extensive choroidal lesions and exudative retinal detachments (OD from 5 to 8:30 o'clock, OS from 5 to 8 o'clock, both including the macula) accompanied by a mild lymphocytic meningitis. The laboratory work-up revealed increased serum and CSF titers of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme immunofluorescent test (IFT) and Lyme-IgM IFT) which declined after a 14-day treatment with doxycycline (200 mg/d), CSF titers non-detectable (serum IgG: from 1:640 to 1:320, serum IgM: from 1:40 to 1:20). A distinct improvement with visual acuity increasing from OD 0.2/OS 0.3 p to OD/OS 0.8 p was observed after seven days of treatment. A 40-year-old man with a 14-day history of tick-bite developed the same, though more severe ocular findings and a lymphocytic meningitis. The serological work-up revealed increased antibody titers against Borrelia burgdorferi (ELISA); the IgM titer was normal. After a 10-day treatment with penicillin, antibody titers against the spirochete decreased slightly and the patient's neurologic and ophthalmologic status improved dramatically. Five weeks after admission visual acuity was OD/OS 0.5 (compared to OD/OS 0.1) and has remained at 0.8 p (OD/OS) since the ninth week after onset. The clinical course of the disease and the decreasing lyme serology strongly suggest an infection with Borrelia burgdorferi. The authors propose thorough laboratory work-ups including tests for Lyme disease in selected patients with diffuse choroidal lesions.