[Lyme borreliosis: from the erythema migrans to Lyme arthritis].

An outbreak of arthritis (Lyme arthritis) initiated the research leading to the description of the Lyme disease in the years 1977-78 as a multisystemic tick-borne disease. Five years later the spirochete responsible for Lyme disease is discovered and will be named Borrelia burgdorferi, in honor to its discoverer, Dr Willy Burgdorfer. Presently in Europe, 6 Borrelia species have been described and current knowledge on epidemiology is reported here. Practical advises for the diagnostic of Lyme arthritis are proposed.