Journal of Spirochetal & Tick-borne Diseases, Vol. 4, No. 1/2 Two lessons from the canine model of Lyme Disease: migration of Borrelia burgdorferi in tissues and persistence after antibiotic treatment. Straubinger RK; 1997 Straubinger AF; Jacobson RH; Chang Y; Summer BA; [Persistence:] In two studies, antibiotic treatment with amoxicillin or doxycycline for 30 days failed to eliminate persistent infection in 11 dogs. Immediately after treatment, borreliae could not be demonstrated, antibody levels declined, and joint lesions were prevented or cured. Live spirochetes, however, persisted in the tissue of at least three dogs as B. burgdorferi DNA was detected in all 11 treated dogs for up to 6 months after treatment, at which time antibody levels again began to rise. [Diagnostic issues:] In the dog model, we detected B. burgdorferi reliably in skin but infrequently in blood by culture and polymerase chain reaction, PCR. We found the organism in the synovium of joints but not in synovial fluids, and in meninges but not in cerebrospinal fluid.
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