Following Antibiotic Treatment:
Critical Need for Further Research
Stephen W. Barthold, DVM, PhD
Distinguished Professor and Director
In a recent critical review of studies involving antibiotic treatment of B. burgdorferi-infected
animal models, it was stated that “in the treatment of other infections it is probably unrealistic to
expect that antimicrobial therapy per se will eliminate every single microorganism from an
infected host, and moreover, such an action would rarely if ever be required for a successful
outcome…the role of antimicrobial therapy in vivo can be thought of in terms of “tipping the
balance” in favor of the host’s own defenses against a particular pathogen”[37].This may be
true for “other infections” but when treating for B. burgdorferi, which persists in fully
immunocompetent hosts as the rule of its natural behavior, “tipping the balance” in favor of the
host poses a challenge.
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