Lyme Disease Ocular Manifestations

Lyme disease ocular manifestations range from many conditions to encompassing the entire eye and its adnexa. As a leading provider of therapeutics development services, Protheragen has been at the forefront of research into Lyme disease ocular manifestations, aiming to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to address this challenging condition.

Overview of Lyme Disease Ocular Manifestations

Lyme disease is a multi-systemic infection inflected through tick bites which is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Although the disease is mostly known for its effects on the skin, joints, and the nervous system, it can also lead to grave eye complications. While ocular complications of Lyme disease are uncommon, they are serious and can involve multiple eye regions including the conjunctiva and retina. These opportunistic manifestations highlight the complexity of Lyme disease and call for thorough approaches in both diagnosis and therapeutic to manage its ocular complications.

Unilateral choroiditis without ECM in Lyme disease.

Fig. 1 Unilateral choroiditis in Lyme disease. (Havuz, E., et al., 2021)

Diagnostics Development for Lyme Disease Ocular Manifestations

Serological Testing
Serology still provides the basis for diagnosing the ocular manifestations of Lyme disease. Most laboratories perform an ELISA and Western blot for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi. Nevertheless, these tests encounter difficulties with sensitivity and specificity, often resulting in erroneous positive and negative findings.
Molecular Diagnostics
The identification of Borrelia burgdorferi DNA in eye tissues and fluids has become significantly easier using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Its application is extremely beneficial when confirming eye infections since it has a greater sensitivity and specificity than serological methods, which makes it much more reliable.

Histopathological Examination
Direct proof of spirochete existence may be derived from the histopathological examination of ocular tissues. Invasive procedures such as biopsy, accompanied by surgical pathology examination, may be essential for diagnosing complex or therapy-resistant refractive ocular features.
Imaging Techniques
More complex imaging techniques, like optical coherence tomography (OCT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are essential for diagnosing and tracking the progression of an eye disease. MRI can show central nervous system involvement, while OCT can capture changes in the retina and optic nerve.

Therapeutics Development for Lyme Disease Ocular Manifestations

Systemic Antibiotics: Systemic therapeutic for ocular manifestations of Lyme disease relies on the use of antibiotics. Commonly, Doxycycline, Amoxicillin, and Ceftriaxone are administered, and their choice and duration are dependent on the stage and severity of infection.

Intravenous Therapy: In cases of spread, or severe infections, intravenous antibiotics such as ceftriaxone are often necessary.

Topical Therapies: Inflammatory ocular conditions including keratitis are often managed using topical steroids.

Immunomodulatory Therapies: Emerging immunomodulatory therapies hold promise for managing ocular inflammation and preventing tissue damage.

Our Services

Protheragen has extensive experience for the development of diagnostics and therapeutics focused on ocular manifestations related to Lyme disease. This includes serological and molecular diagnostics, histopathology, imaging, and many more. We are also focused on other fields, which include optimization of antibiotic therapies and new approaches to immunomodulatory therapies.

Diagnostics Development

Therapeutic Development

Preclinical Research

Disease Models

Borrelia burgdorferi Infection Rhesus Monkey Models
Borrelia burgdorferi Infection Syrian Hamster Models
Borrelia burgdorferi Infection C3H/HeJ Mouse Model
Borrelia burgdorferi Infection New Zealand White Rabbit Models
Borrelia burgdorferi Infection Dog Models

Protheragen's preclinical research services are designed to support the development of innovative diagnostics and therapeutics for Lyme disease ocular manifestations. Our state-of-the-art facilities and expert team conduct rigorous preclinical studies, evaluating the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of novel agents. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us.

References

Havuz, Erol, and Seda Güdül Havuz. "Lyme disease atypically presenting with a singular symptom: unilateral chorioretinitis." European Journal of Ophthalmology 31.2 (2021): NP151-NP156.
Daher, Nathalie, et al. "Neuro-ophthalmological manifestations associated with Lyme disease." Revista Brasileira de Oftalmologia 78 (2019): 133-136.