Highlights of guidelines in National Guideline Clearinghouse at www.guideline.gov.

Since there is currently no definitive test for Lyme disease, laboratory results should not be used to exclude an individual from treatment. Lyme disease is a clinical diagnosis and tests should be used to support rather than supersede the physician’s judgment. The early use of antibiotics can prevent persistent, recurrent, and refractory Lyme disease. The duration of therapy should be guided by clinical response, rather than by an arbitrary (i.e., 30 day) treatment course. The practice of stopping antibiotics to allow for delayed recovery is not recommended for persistent Lyme disease. In these cases, it is reasonable to continue treatment for several months after clinical and laboratory abnormalities have begun to resolve and symptoms have disappeared.