Epidemiological Characteristics and Clinical Manifestations of Lyme Borreliosis in Croatia

Abstract

The goal was to show the epidemiological characteristics and clinical manifestations of Lyme borreliosis in Croatia. Data on registered Lyme borreliosis cases were analyzed and the most common clinical manifestations of the disease, based on meta-analysis of the data collected, are described. A total of 3,317 cases were reported from 1987 to the end of 2003. Northwestern Croatia is an area in which Lyme borreliosis is endemic, but the disease has also been recorded in the other parts of the country, with the exception of the area south of Zadar. The clinical picture of Lyme borreliosis in Croatia is dominated by erythema migrans, followed by neurological manifestations. The diversified clinical picture is consistent with reports from other European countries, as is the isolation of Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii, which are causally related to these forms of the disease. Tick density and tick infection rates of Borrelia burgdorferi have not yet been investigated in the part of Croatia free from the occurrence of Lyme borreliosis.