Isolated Cervical Myelitis in Lyme Disease: A Rare Manifestation of Acute Neuroborreliosis

Abstract

Neuroborreliosis is the neurological manifestation of Lyme disease, a tick-borne infectious multi-system disease caused by <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> sensu lato. It appears in 3 to 15% of all cases of acute Lyme disease, and includes meningitis, cranial neuritis, and painful radiculoneuritis as the most common manifestations. We report a case of acute neuroborreliosis that manifested as extended isolated cervical myelitis. Not only the manifestation as isolated myelitis in the early stages of borreliosis represents a rarity, but also the strong contrast between mild clinical symptoms and pronounced imaging findings in this case is remarkable.