Borrelia burgdorferi

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Borrelia burgdorferi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Bacteria;
Phylum:	Spirochaetes;
Class:	Spirochaetes;
Order:	Spirochaetales;
Genus:	Borrelia;
Species:	B. burgdorferi;
Binomial name
	Borrelia burgdorferi;

This page is about microbiologic aspects of the organism(s). For clinical aspects of the disease, see Lyme disease.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Raviteja Guddeti, M.B.B.S. [2] Template:Seealso

Overview

Borrelia burgdorferi is species of 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-sulphur cluster enzymes with enzymes that use manganese, thus avoiding the problem many pathogenic bacteria face in acquiring iron.

B. burgdorferi infections have been linked to non-Hodgkin lymphomas.^[1]

Gallery

Histopathology showing Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes in Lyme disease. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
White-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, which is a host of ticks thatare known to carry the bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, responsible for Lyme disease. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
“Corkscrew-shaped” bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi, which is the pathogen responsible for causing Lyme disease (400x mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Facial palsy caused by an infection by the bacterial spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, and was subsequently diagnosed with Lyme disease. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture.From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Dorsal view of an adult female western blacklegged tick, whichs transmit Borrelia burgdorferi (agent of Lyme disease). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Dorsal view of an adult female western blacklegged tick, whichs transmit Borrelia burgdorferi (agent of Lyme disease). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Dorsal view of engorged female tick, extracted from the skin of a pet cat (26X mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Dorsal view of engorged female tick in the process of obtaining its blood meal (207X magnification). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Scanning electron micrographic (SEM) image depicts dorsal view of engorged female tick (201X magnification). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Photomicrographic montage using the immunofluorescent antibody technique (IFA) used to produce this B. burgdorferi multicolored image. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Lateral view of female deer tick, Ixodes scapularis, with its abdomen engorged with a host blood meal.From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Peripheral blood from a newborn child indicates the presence of numerous Borrelia hermsii spirochetes (arrows), consistent with a tickborne relapsing fever (TBRF) infection. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Dorsal view of a soft tick, Ornithodoros hermsi, which is a known vector for the disease tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) (6.5x mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Deer tick, Ixodes scapularis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture.From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Dorsal view of engorged female tick in the process of obtaining its blood meal (201x mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Dorsal view of engorged female tick, extracted from the skin of a pet cat (26x mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Male Dermacentor sp. tick found upon a cat (95x mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Dorsal view of male Dermacentor sp. tick found on a cat (3043x mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Dorsal view of a female "lone star tick", Amblyomma americanum. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Anterior view of engorged female "lone star tick", Amblyomma americanum. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Ventral view of engorged female "lone star tick" Amblyomma americanum. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
“Corkscrew-shaped” bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi, the pathogen responsible for causing Lyme disease (400x mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
White-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, which is a wild rodent reservoir host of ticks, which are known to carry the bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, responsible for Lyme disease. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
This photograph of a whitetail deer, Odocoileus virginianus, was taken during a Lyme disease field investigation in 1993. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
This is a dorsal view of the “soft tick” Carios kelleyi, formerly Ornithodoros kelleyi, or the “Bat Tick”. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
This is a dorsal view of the “soft tick” Carios kelleyi, formerly Ornithodoros kelleyi, or the “Bat Tick”. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
This is a female “Lone star tick”, Amblyomma americanum, and is found in the southeastern and midatlantic United States. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
These "black-legged ticks", Ixodes scapularis, also referred to as I. dammini, are found on a wide rage of hosts including mammals, birds and reptiles.From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
Histopathology showing Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes in Lyme disease. Dieterle silver stain.From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]
“Corkscrew-shaped” bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi, which is the pathogen responsible for causing Lyme disease (400x mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[2]