Infectiologic differential diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease and so ...

The laboratory diagnostics of Yersinia enterocolitica infection is presented in Table
17.
Table 17
Laboratory diagnostics of Yersinia enterocolitica infection
Serology
LTT*
Pathogen detection
� PCR
� Culture
As is the case in Lyme disease, there is often seropositivity in non-diseased people
Information on a possible seronegativity in chronic yersiniosis is not available.
In the disease course the serological findings can correlate with the disease
expression [165].
It is not at all seldom that a highly significant pathological Yersinia LTT is found in
patients whose complaint symptomatology is primarily consistent with chronic Lyme
disease. In correspondence to chronic Lyme disease, the positive yersinia LTT could
be an indication of a chronic persistent infection especially in cases involving
reproducibility.
The focuses which are to be considered in the differential diagnosis of chronic Lyme
disease or chronic yersiniosis, respectively, are depicted in Table 16.
Pathogen detection is particularly possible in articular effusion as well as in the
lymphatic tissue of the intestine as well as in early stages also by means of a throat
swab. Data on the sensitivity of pathogen detection using PCR or culture methods
does not exist in the relevant literature.
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