====== Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome - PTLDS ======

//Lyme Diseases// is a severe and potentially dangerous condition due to bacterial infection following bites from ticks in the genus //Ixodes.//

The infection can be treated with a course of antibiotics, but in 10 - 20% of patients<sup>  [[https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/440461v1.abstract|ref.]]</sup>severe symptoms can persist :

>Lyme disease is caused by infection with the bacterium //Borrelia burgdorferi//. Although most cases of Lyme disease can be cured with a 2- to 4-week course of oral antibiotics, patients can sometimes have symptoms of pain, fatigue, or difficulty thinking that lasts for more than 6 months after they finish treatment. This condition is called Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS).\\ \\ Source :  [[https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/postLDS/index.html|US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,]]

The reasons for the lingering symptoms is unknown, with some patients still experiencing a variety of problems several years later.

There are no proven treatments for PTLDS - some trials of long-term antibiotic treatment have led to complications, and are not currently recommended.