Lyme disease is one of the most controversial illnesses in the history of medicine.1,2 Over the past
decade, two opposing camps have emerged in the controversy over this tick-borne illness. One
camp is represented by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), which maintains that
Lyme disease is a rare illness localized to well-defined areas of the world.3,4 According to IDSA,
the disease is ‘hard to catch and easy to cure’ because the infection is rarely encountered, easily
diagnosed in its early stage by means of accurate commercial laboratory tests and effectively
treated with a short course of antibiotics over 2-4 weeks. Chronic infection with the corkscrewshaped
Lyme spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, is rare or non-existent.3,4 The IDSA view is based
on the work of a small group of researchers who have little or no contact with Lyme disease
patients and use their limited research results to restrict clinical care for sick patients with
persistent Lyme disease symptoms.
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