Elevated ccl19 after completion of therapy for acute lyme disease identifies patients at risk for development of post-treatment lyme disease syndrome who will benefit from further antibiotic therapy

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of Lyme disease. More specifically, the present invention provides methods and composition useful for the treatment of Lyme disease. In one aspect, the present invention provides compositions and methods for treating a patient at risk for or likely to develop post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). In certain embodiments, the patient is already undergoing a first course of antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease. In a specific embodiment, a method comprises the step of prescribing or administering a second course of antibiotic treatment to a patient who is determined to have an increased level of CCL19 as compared to a control after completing a first course of antibiotics for Lyme disease.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for treating a patient likely to develop post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) and who is currently undergoing a first course of antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease comprising the step of prescribing or administering a second course of antibiotic treatment to a patient who is determined to have an increased level of CCL19 as compared to a control after completing a first course of antibiotics for Lyme disease. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second course of antibiotics comprises an antibiotic that is different from the first course of antibiotics. 
     
     
         3 . A method for treating a patient likely to develop PTLDS comprising the steps of:
 (a) obtaining a biological sample from a patient being treated for Lyme disease with a first course of antibiotics;   (b) measuring the level of CCL19 in the sample; and   (c) prescribing or administering a second course of antibiotic treatment to a patient having an increased level of CCL19 as compared to a control.   
     
     
         4 . A method comprising the steps of:
 (a) measuring the level of CCL19 in a serum sample obtained from a patient undergoing a first antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease; and   (b) generating a report comprising the measured CCL19 level.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the report further comprises standard or control levels of CCL19 for comparison. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the report further comprises a treatment recommendation based on the measure level of CCL19. 
     
     
         7 . A method comprising the steps of:
 (a) measuring the level of CCL19 in a serum sample obtained from a patient undergoing a first antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease; and   (b) recommending a second course of antibiotic treatment to treat or prevent PTLDS if the measure level of CCL19 is statistically significantly increased as compared to a reference or control.