ABSTRACT
Although there are several animal models of Lyme disease, only the rhesus monkey model
exhibits all of the key manifestations of the disease. After infection with Borrelia
burgdorferi, rhesus monkeys develop signs of early localized, early disseminated,
and chronic Lyme disease. Specific features include erythema migrans, uveitis, myocarditis,
arthritis, and disease of the peripheral and central nervous system.
One of the unique features of the rhesus monkey model is the development of Lyme neuroborreliosis.
Peripheral nervous system (PNS) involvement is usually in the form of a mononeuropathy
multiplex with primarily axonal-loss features. Evidence of central nervous system
(CNS) disease has included CSF pleocytosis, meningeal inflammation, spinal cord lesions,
and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) data consistent with chronic CNS infection. The
pathogenesis of Lyme neuroborreliosis is not well understood, but it is likely to
involve complex interactions between B. burgdorferi and host immune mechanisms.
Keywords
Lyme disease - neuroborreliosis - rhesus monkey - mononeuropathy multiplex - Western
blot - polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
