Serum Antibody Levels to the Borrelia Spirochete in Japanese Patients with Bell's Palsy

Abstract

The disease entity of Lyme borreliosis (Lyme disease) was first described in 1976 in the United States (1). A similar or identical disease had already been described in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century but the aetiological agent had not been identified (2). Lyme borreliosis is a multisystemic tick-borne disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. It affects mainly the skin, joints, heart and nervous system. Peripheral facial palsy is one of the most common neurological complications of the disease (3-4). In European patients with isolated acute idiopathic peripheral facial palsy (Bell's palsy), elevated serum antibody titers against the Borrelia spirochete occur in 10 to 20% of the population (5-6). In Japan, individual cases with the skin manifestation of Lyme borreliosis have been described (7). To our knowledge, however, there is no report on the possible relationship between acute peripheral facial palsy and infection by the Borrelia spirochete in this country. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to see if tick-borne Borrelia infection also occurs in Japanese patients with Bell's palsy.