Infections caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato / Zakażenia wywołane przez Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato

Abstract

Lyme disease is a multisystem illness caused by an infection with the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. The illness is identified in many countries in the Northern Hemisphere [1], but the risk of infection is determined by geographical location and the frequency of occurrence of spirochetes in animal reservoirs and vectors. Among European countries, Lyme disease occurs most frequently in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Sweden and Poland [2]. In Western Europe, a great variability in the frequency of occurrence is observed. Lyme disease has been most frequently diagnosed in Sweden with 464 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and least frequently in Italy with 0.001 per 100,000 inhabitants [3]. According to the data of Polish National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene, the incidence of Lyme disease is systematically increasing. In 2013 12,754 of cases of Lyme disease were registered (incidence rate 33.1 per 100,000 inhabitants) [4] and in 2014 this number increased to 13,870 (incidence rate 36.0 per 100 00 inhabitants) [5]. The highest incidence rates in 2013 and 2014 were observed in the Podlasie region, 100.2 per 100,000 inhabitants and 106.8 per 100,000 respectively [4,5]. The preliminary epidemiologic data show that in the period from January to December 2015 13,624 cases of Lyme disease were diagnosed in Poland (incidence rate 35.4 per 100 000 inhabitants) [6].