Serious Bacterial Infections Acquired During Treatment of Patients Given a Diagnosis of Chronic Lyme Disease — United States

• Published in: MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report Vol. 66; no. 23; pp. 607 - 609
• Main Authors: Marzec, Natalie S., Nelson, Christina, Waldron, Paul Ravi, Blackburn, Brian G., Hosain, Syed, Greenhow, Tara, Green, Gary M., Lomen-Hoerth, Catherine, Golden, Marjorie, Mead, Paul S.
• Format: Journal Article Newsletter
• Language: English
• Published: United States Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 16.06.2017; U.S. Government Printing Office; U.S. Center for Disease Control; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Alternative medicine; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Bacterial infections; Bacterial Infections - etiology; Biocompatibility; Biomedical materials; Chronic Disease; Chronic fatigue syndrome; Chronic illnesses; Clinical medicine; Colitis; Cross Infection; Diagnosis; Enzymes; Fatal Outcome; Female; Fever; Full Report; Health aspects; Health care; Health care industry; Humans; Immunoglobulins; Infections; Infectious diseases; Inflammatory bowel disease; Intensive care; Intravenous administration; Lyme disease; Lyme Disease - diagnosis; Lyme Disease - therapy; Mental disorders; Middle Aged; Osteomyelitis; Pain; Patients; Physicians; Public health; Resveratrol; Sepsis; Septic shock; Severity of Illness Index; United States; Vector-borne diseases; Maryland; California; United States > US
• ISSN: 0149-2195; 1545-861X
• DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6623a3

The term "chronic Lyme disease" is used by some health care providers as a diagnosis for various constitutional, musculoskeletal, and neuropsychiatric symptoms (1,2). Patients with a diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease have been provided a wide range of medications as treatment, including long courses of intravenous (IV) antibiotics (3,4). Studies have not shown that such treatments lead to substantial long-term improvement for patients, and they can be harmful (1,5). This report describes cases of septic shock, osteomyelitis, Clostridium difficile colitis, and paraspinal abscess resulting from treatments for chronic Lyme disease. Patients, clinicians, and public health practitioners should be aware that treatments for chronic Lyme disease can carry serious risks.