ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the pathogenic spirochetes, highlighting their unique basic biological properties and the important epidemiologic, clinical, pathologic, and diagnostic entities and immune phenomena associated with the diseases caused by them. It is noteworthy, however, that many Lyme disease victims either do not recall being bitten by a tick, or they do not notice a rash developing at an unrecognized tick bite, or possibly they do not go on to develop a classic EM at all. Before antibiotics, many toxic drugs were used for treatment; as early as 1905, a blood test was developed for the diagnosis of syphilis-the so-called Wasserman test-the prototype for the current nonspecific serologic tests designed to measure antibodies to cardiolipin. Serologic tests provide important confirmatory evidence for secondary syphilis but are the only means of diagnosing latent infection. Two main categories of serologic tests for syphilis are available: tests for nonspecific reaginic antibody and tests for specific treponemal antibody.
