Lyme disease - loss of elasticity of the skin/breakdown of elastic/elastin fibers

georgia · medicine forum Guru Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 505

"Spirochetes could be demonstrated in 69% of the biopsies and were most

numerous in infiltrative and nodular lesions."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=7751475&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum

J Cutan Pathol. 1995 Feb;22(1):23-32.

Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans: a light and electron
microscopic study.

de Koning J, Tazelaar DJ, Hoogkamp-Korstanje JA, Elema JD.

Department of Pathology, Public Health Laboratory, Leeuwarden, The
Netherlands.

Degeneration of the elastica and collagen fibres in skin biopsies
from patients with acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans was studied with

light and electron microscopy. Elastic fibres were involved in the
infiltrative stage while the elastin plexus was still present. In the
atrophic phase, only fragments of elastic and oxytalan fibres were seen

and the elaunin plexus was absent. Some collagen fibres were surrounded

by osmiophilic material. In all biopsies, myelin sheaths were collapsed

without axon structures. Spirochetes could be demonstrated in 69% of
the
biopsies and were most numerous in infiltrative and nodular lesions.
The
loss of elasticity of the skin in the atrophic phase may be caused by
the destruction of both elastic and elastin fibres.

PMID: 7751475 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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