Lyme Disease Information for Doctors in Australia

Lyme Disease Australia

Lyme disease in Australia is a neurological disease with little or no arthritis. It is outstanding the degree of cranial nerve involvement. As such it needs to be distinguished from sarcoid, autoimmune diseases and Bartonella neurological disease. It can now be proven by nested PCR to 

Borrelia Burgdorferi (Bb)

Borrelia Garinii (Bg)

and a Borrelia Valaisiana like genus on sequencing

In addition Borrelia Afzelii is most likely here in Australia as judged by a patient case load of 5 people having ACA the advanced skin disease found in some Lyme sufferers, and 8 others with the nummular truncal rash. ACA can be caused by Bb and Bg as well as Afzelii viz: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11864084?dopt=Abstract

Two Proofs on this link for Bb in Australia, one by blood the other by tissue. 

Two more proofs

	The man in the case history presentation of EM was also positive to Bb on nested pcr testing in mid 2009.
	The case presented on the previous page show positive PCR to Borrelia in July 2010

ILADS is The International Lyme and Associated Disease Society

Here is the main link to the society
http://www.ilads.org/

A key Board member of ILADS is Joseph Burruscano MD a physician. He is the author of

"Advanced topics in Lyme disease"

The 2008 edition is available free on the net at ILADS
http://www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/B_guidelines_12_17_08.pdf
If a slow download try refreshing or

here is the 2005 version
http://www.ilads.org/files/burrascano_0905.pdf

I am going to attempt to give a brief overview on Lyme information. The topic is vast with many tangents and it takes very many hours to integrate this information into a sensible synthesis. I will heavily rely on the above information. Medical Practitioners have enough to do without taking on this subspecialty with its extreme time consumption, unless particularly motivated to learn more. The aim is to arm you with enough information to suspect this diagnosis. 

Dr Peter James Mayne

MBBS Sydney University 
DPD (Dermatology) Cardiff University 2005
IDD International Dermoscopy Diploma Graz University 2008 - Distinction
FACRRM Fellow Australian College Rural and Remote Medicine
Certificate Course Diabetes Management Monash University 2000
Honorary Tutor Dept Medicine Cardiff University - Dermatology

Peter practices standard western medicine. He has not been an advocate of complimentary or alternative medicine in his practice and his treatment protocols for Lyme disease reflect this. However a thorough approach to good nutrition is required though by all Lyme sufferers and supplements will be necessary. See treatment options. Peter is a member of ILADS.