Chronic Lyme Disease?

My father was bitten by a tick in the 1980's. He had the bull's-eye rash but it was misdiagnosed as a spider bite. He was tested for a number of autoimmune & infectious illnesses, had a spinal tap, brain MRI etc, and was finally diagnosed in 2002 with Lyme Disease, Babesiosis, Bartonella, & Mycoplasma. He's being treated with oral antibiotics & antimalarials and has made progress, but is still having symptoms including headaches, joint pain, & fatigue.

Does Lyme & related tick-borne "coinfections" become chronic and/or treatment resistant? Lyme specialists and treatment options are limited so getting multiple opinions and treatment regimens has been difficult. Your advice and suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you very much for your time and assistance.

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-CS]

Someone can develop treatment resistent Lyme, and therefore follow-up spinal fluid analysis and Lyme titers should be checked. If the infection is treated appropriately it may take time for the neurologic symptoms to resolve. If he does not improve, I would recommend obtaining a second opinion at a large academic center to confirm the diagnosis and treatment options. Good luck.