Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi)
1995 Case Definition

Comments

This surveillance case definition was developed for national reporting of Lyme disease; it is NOT appropriate for clinical diagnosis.

Definition of terms used in the clinical description and case definition:

A. Erythema migrans

• For purposes of surveillance, EM is defined as a skin lesion that typically begins as a red macule or papule and expands over a period of days to weeks to form a large round lesion, often with partial central clearing. A solitary lesion must reach at least 5 cm in size. Secondary lesions may also occur. Annular erythematous lesions occurring within several hours of a tick bite represent hypersensitivity reactions and do not qualify as EM. For most patients, the expanding EM lesion is accompanied by other acute symptoms, particularly fatigue, fever, headache, mild stiff neck, arthralgia, or myalgia. These symptoms are typically intermittent. The diagnosis of EM must be made by a physician. Laboratory confirmation is recommended for persons with no known exposure.

B. Late manifestations

• Late manifestations include any of the following when an alternate explanation is not found:
• Musculoskeletal system
  • Recurrent, brief attacks (weeks or months) of objective joint swelling in one or a few joints, sometimes followed by chronic arthritis in one or a few joints. Manifestations not considered as criteria for diagnosis include chronic progressive arthritis not preceded by brief attacks and chronic symmetrical polyarthritis. Additionally, arthralgia, myalgia, or fibromyalgia syndromes alone are not criteria for musculoskeletal involvement.
• Nervous system
  • Any of the following, alone or in combination: Lymphocytic meningitis; cranial neuritis, particularly facial palsy (may be bilateral); radiculoneuropathy; or, rarely, encephalomyelitis. Encephalomyelitis must be confirmed by showing antibody production against B. burgdorferi in CSF, demonstrated by a higher titer of antibody in CSF than in serum. Headache, fatigue, paresthesia, or mild stiff neck alone are not criteria for neurologic involvement.
• Cardiovascular system
  • Acute onset, high-grade (2nd or 3rd degree) atrioventricular conduction defects that resolve in days to weeks and are sometimes associated with myocarditis. Palpitations, bradycardia, bundle branch block, or myocarditis alone are not criteria for cardiovascular involvement.
• Laboratory confirmation
  • As noted above, laboratory confirmation of infection with B. burgdorferi is established when a laboratory isolates the spirochete from tissue or body fluid, detects diagnostic levels of IgM or IgG antibodies to the spirochete in serum or CSF, or detects a significant change in antibody levels in paired acute- and convalescent-phase serum samples. States may determine the criteria for laboratory confirmation and diagnostic levels of antibody. Syphilis and other known causes of biologic false-positive serologic test results should be excluded when laboratory confirmation has been based on serologic testing alone.

The 1995 case definition appearing on this page was previously published in the 1990 MMWR Recommendations and Reports titled Case Definitions for Public Health Surveillance.¹ Thus, the 1990 and 1995 versions of the case definition are identical.