Blood cultures for patients with extracutaneous manifestations of lyme disease in the United States

Abstract

Spirochetemia in US patients with extracutaneous manifestations of Lyme disease is not well documented. In this study, blood culture results were positive for 5 (19.2%; 95% confidence interval, 6.6%-39.4%) of 26 untreated adult patients with extracutaneous manifestations but only for patients with clinical evidence for a short duration of infection. © 2009 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.