An Overview of Lyme Disease in Europe

Abstract

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic DiseasesVol. 23, No. 4 IntroductionFree AccessAn Overview of Lyme Disease in EuropeStephen Higgs and Catherine A. BrissetteStephen HiggsAddress correspondence to: Stephen Higgs, Editor-in-Chief, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases E-mail Address: shiggs@bri.ksu.eduEditor-in-Chief, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases.Biosecurity Research Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA.Search for more papers by this author and Catherine A. BrissetteDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:12 Apr 2023https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2023.29006.higAboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Lyme disease is a high profile, and often controversial and emotive topic in the United States and as described hereunder, Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases (VBZ) has been at the forefront for dissemination of new information. However, many VBZ subscribers may not realize the significance of Lyme disease in Europe. This dedicated issue of VBZ, prepared by researchers from many different countries, presents data and resources to elevate awareness and inform our international readership on the importance of Lyme in Europe.For >20 years, VBZ has published articles on all aspects of Lyme disease, indeed the first editor Durland Fish was a highly respected and productive Lyme disease researcher, and the establishment of the journal in 2001 was in large part based on his passion to establish a resource for data related to Lyme disease. In a report published in 2018, it was estimated that between 2004 and 2016, the number of annually reported tick-borne diseases had doubled, and of the reported 491,671 cases, >80% were Lyme disease (Rosenberg et al., 2018).Cases of a previously unnamed diseases, initially thought to be juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, had been occurring since the mid 1970s in the Connecticut town of Lyme. What was initially called Lyme arthritis, was renamed to Lyme disease, due to the range and complexity of symptoms. Patients with symptoms consistent with Lyme disease, progressing to chronic arthritis, were subsequently identified in multiple states. Although a hard tick vector Ixodes dammini (now Ix. scapularis) was implicated, the etiologic agent remained elusive.In 1982, Burgdorfer et al. (1982) successfully identified the agent that caused Lyme disease. Spirochete bacteria isolated from ticks collected in New York and cultured in vitro were found to react with serum collected from Lyme disease patients, and with this essential clue, bacteria were subsequently isolated from patient tissues.As mentioned earlier, Lyme disease is, because of its name, regarded by many as a U.S. disease, but ironically, symptoms consistent with Lyme disease had been described in Europe in the 1880s (Buchwald, 1883). Cases of the disease presenting as chronic skin disorders (erythema migrans), sometimes associated with nervous system disorders, were subsequently described from multiple countries in Europe, and the first successful treatment using antibiotics was accomplished in 1949. Although an etiologic agent remained unknown, the treatment suggested that this must be bacterial. Although the possibility that the disease might be caused by pathogens transmitted by ticks was suggested in 1923 (Lipschutz, 1923), this was unconfirmed.With discoveries published in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, isolates of the new species of Borrelia were soon obtained from both ticks and patients by European scientists. The new species was described in 1984 as Borrelia burgdorferi (Johnson et al., 1984). Various genotypes of the spirochete were later described as Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii, which also cause Lyme disease symptoms.In this special issue of VBZ, 11 articles, by 38 coauthors with multiple affiliations in many different countries, provide much needed information to better understand the importance of Lyme disease in Europe, data for specific countries and implications for public health. All articles contained within this special issue have been peer reviewed by VBZ. This is not a sponsored supplement. Refer to each individual article for proper disclosures.ReferencesBuchwald A. A case of diffuse idiopathic skin atrophy [in German]. Arch Dermatol Syphilis 1883;10:553–556. Crossref, Google ScholarBurgdorfer W, Barbour AG, Hayes SF, et al. Lyme disease—A tick borne spirochetosis. Science 1982;216:1317–1319. Crossref, Medline, Google ScholarJohnson RC, Schmid GO, Hyde FW, et al. Borrelia burgdorferi sp.nov.: Etiologic agent of Lyme disease. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1984;34:496–497. Crossref, Google ScholarLipschutz B. Further contributions to the knowledge of “Erythema chronicum migrans” [in German]. Arch Dermatol Syphilis 1923;143:365–374. Google ScholarRosenberg R, Lindsey NP, Fischer M, et al. Vital signs: Trends in reported vectorborne disease cases—United States and territories, 2004–2016. MMWR 2018;67:496–501. Crossref, Medline, Google ScholarFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 23Issue 4Apr 2023 InformationCopyright 2023, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:Stephen Higgs and Catherine A. Brissette.An Overview of Lyme Disease in Europe.Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases.Apr 2023.137-138.http://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2023.29006.higPublished in Volume: 23 Issue 4: April 12, 2023PDF download