IDSA's choice of "Expert" in the case of Lyme Disease

First off, the ID doctor I talked with in Bethsda MD, told me he had a very low opinion of "these Rheumatologists that think they know how to treat Lyme Disease". Knowledge is power, so I looked into what type of "expert" would be the best to figure out how to treat Lyme and it's co-infections. The nearest I came up with is a Microbiologist. http://www.aboutbioscience.org/microbiologist.html

"MICROBIOLOGIST Microbiology is the study of living organisms that are invisible to the naked eye, such as bacteria and fungi. Though not living organisms, viruses also are studied by microbiologists. Though many people tend to group them together, there are many different types of microbiology. Medical microbiology is perhaps the most well-known because it deals with the roles that microbes have in human illness. Other types include veterinary microbiology, environmental microbiology, food microbiology and pharmaceutical microbiology. All these deal with the way microbes or microorganisms affect animals, the environment, the food supply and the health care industry. Career Opportunities Hospital/Clinical Laboratories : Microbiologists in this field typically work to identify disease-causing bacteria that may have affected a patient or potentially could affect the human body. This type of microbiologist can assist in preventing the spread of disease by containing and treating it."

Instead of a Microbiologist being quoted over and over in their guidelines we hear Allen Steere's studies and research. Dr Allen Steere is a.....Rheumatologist.

Internal Medicine Sub-specialty: Rheumatology View ABMS® certification Special Expertise: Arthritis; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Erythema Chronicum Migrans; Fibromyalgia; Infectious Arthritis septic arthritis; Lyme Disease; Rheumatic Diseases; Rheumatoid Arthritis; Systemic Lupus Erythematosus SLE Read more: http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Allen_Steere.html#ixzz1XEFgauj1 Allen C. Steere is a professor of rheumatology at Harvard University and previously at Yale University.

You would think that once it was found to be a bacteria, Mr Steere would have handed the mantel on to the next "expert" most qualified. Why, is he even involved anymore? Just as Dr.Bransfield at the Pa. Lyme Hearing on 8-30-11 had pointed out, Most all diseases started out being believed to be a psycosomatic ailment and patients were refered to Psychologists for treatments. Once it's found to be a actual infection or disease the patients are then sent to the appropriate doctors and researchers. He's still seeing way too many Lyme Disease patients considering the cause has been found many years ago.

Rheumatologist: A specialist in the non-surgical treatment of rheumatic illnesses, especially arthritis. Rheumatologists have special interests in unexplained rash, fever, arthritis,anemia, weakness, weight loss, fatigue, joint or muscle pain, autoimmune disease, and anorexia. They often serve as consultants, acting like detectives for other doctors. Rheumatologists have particular skills in the evaluation of the over 100 forms of arthritis, and have special interest in rheumatoid arthritis, spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus,antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, Still disease, dermatomyositis, Sjogren's syndrome, vasculitis, scleroderma, mixed connective tissue disease, sarcoidosis, Lyme disease, osteomyelitis, osteoarthritis, back pain, gout, pseudogout, relapsing polychondritis, Henoch- Schonlein purpura, serum sickness, reactive arthritis, Kawasaki disease, fibromyalgia, erythromelalgia, Raynaud's disease, growing pains, iritis, osteoporosis, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, and others. Classical adult rheumatology training includes four years of medical school, one year of internship in internal medicine, two years of internal medicine residency, and two years of rheumatology fellowship. 

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11968 Even though it has been proven that Lyme Disease is bacterial in nature it still remains on the list of what these doctors treat. So, why is it that most Infectious Disease doc's are not approving of other specialties treating Lyme? I need to look at this more for sure.