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Pathogen Page

Borrelia burgdorferi

I. General Information

1. NCBI Taxonomy ID:

2. Disease:

Lyme Disease

3. Introduction

Borrelia burgdorferi is a species of Gram negative bacteria of the spirochete class of the genus Borrelia. B. burgdorferi is predominant in North America, but also exists in Europe, and is the agent of Lyme disease. It is a zoonotic, vector-borne disease transmitted by ticks and is named after the researcher Willy Burgdorfer who first isolated the bacterium in 1982. B. burgdorferi is one of the few pathogenic bacteria that can survive without iron, having replaced all of its iron-sulfur cluster enzymes with enzymes that use manganese, thus avoiding the problem many pathogenic bacteria face in acquiring iron (Wiki: B. burgdorferi).

4. Microbial Pathogenesis

B. burgdorferi is deposited in skin lesions left by Ixodes ticks, and can then invade the bloodstream leading to dissemination throughout the body and cause problems in joints and nervous tissues (Salyers and Whitt., 2002).

5. Host Ranges and Animal Models

White footed mouse are the reservoir of B. burgdorferi. The bacteria are carried by ticks which vector the bacteria to other hosts such as humans, as well as small mammals such as voles and shrews. Animal models include rabbits, mice and dogs (Salyers and Whitt., 2002).

6. Host Protective Immunity

In most people B. burgdorferi is cleared from the bloodstream via antibodies and phagocytic cells (Salyers and Whitt., 2002).

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