It is the causative agent of the well-known Lyme disease. It is motile due to endoflagella and is arranged in wide spiral forms. Cases are most commonly seen in Connecticut, Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey, etc.
Lyme disease is acquired through the bite of the Ixodes tick. It typically begins with a characteristic rash called erythema chronicum migrans (a “bull’s-eye” lesion), along with fever and headache. In untreated cases, it may progress to arthritis, meningitis, encephalitis, myocarditis, heart block, and bilateral facial palsy.
It evades immune attack through antigenic variation in its outer surface proteins.
Antibody detection by ELISA and immunofluorescence tests is the mainstay of laboratory diagnosis, with confirmation by Western blot or PCR for nucleic acids. Culture is not preferred because it is difficult to grow.
Other methods that can be used include:
Borrelia do not take the Gram stain.
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