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. 1984 Jul-Aug;57(4):473–477.

Lyme disease: a unique human model for an infectious etiology of rheumatic disease.

S E Malawista, A C Steere, J A Hardin
PMCID: PMC2590021  PMID: 6516449

Abstract

Lyme disease is a complex immune-mediated multi-system disorder that is infectious in origin and inflammatory or "rheumatic" in expression. Through its epidemiologic characteristics, large numbers of a seasonally synchronized patient population are readily available for prospective study. Lyme disease has a known clinical onset ("zero time"), marked by the characteristic expanding skin lesion, erythema chronicum migrans, and a clearly defined pre-articular phase. At least some manifestations of the disorder are responsive to antibiotics, and the causative agent--a spirochete--is now known. These advantages make Lyme disease unique as a human model for an infectious etiology of rheumatic disease.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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