Borrelia
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Borrelia afzelii |
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Most recent articles on Borrelia |
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Ongoing Trials on Borrelia at Clinical Trials.gov Clinical Trials on Borrelia at Google
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US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Borrelia
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Directions to Hospitals Treating Borrelia Risk calculators and risk factors for Borrelia
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Overview
Borrelia is a genus of bacteria of the spirochete class. It is a zoonotic, vector-borne disease transmitted primarily by ticks and some by lice, depending on the species. There are 37 known species of Borrelia.
Lyme Borreliosis
Of the 37 known species of Borrelia, 12 of these species are known to cause Lyme disease or borreliosis and are transmitted by ticks. The major Borrelia species causing Lyme disease are Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii and Borrelia valaisiana.
Relapsing fever
Other Borrelia species cause relapsing fever such as Borrelia recurrentis, caused by the human body louse. No animal reservoir of B. recurrentis exists. Lice that feed on infected humans acquire the Borrelia organisms that then multiply in the gut of the louse. When an infected louse feeds on an uninfected human, the organism gains access when the victim crushes the louse or scratches the area where the louse is feeding. B. recurrentis infects the person via mucous membranes and then invades the bloodstream.
Other tick-borne relapsing infections are acquired from other species, such as Borrelia hermsii or Borrelia Parkeri, which can be spread from rodents, and serve as a reservoir for the infection, via a tick vector. Borelia hermsii and Borrelia recurrentis cause very similar diseases although the disease associated with Borrelia hermsii has more relapses and is responsible for more fatalities, while the disease caused by B. recurrentis has longer febrile and afebrile intervals and a longer incubation period.
Gallery
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![Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), this digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicts a green-colored, spiral-shaped Borrelia hermsii bacterium set atop a number of red-colored red blood cells (RBCs). B. hermsii is the causative agent of tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/c/cd/Borrelia01.jpeg)
Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), this digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicts a green-colored, spiral-shaped Borrelia hermsii bacterium set atop a number of red-colored red blood cells (RBCs). B. hermsii is the causative agent of tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), this photomicrographic montage was created by combining two slides processed using the immunofluorescent antibody technique (IFA). One slide was used to identify spirochetes that express outer surface protein D, resulting in yellow- and red-colored organisms. Again using IFA on the second slide, spirochetes were labeled with an anti-B. burgdorferi antibody, producing organisms that had stained a glowing green color. The two slides were then combined producing this B. burgdorferi multicolored image. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/4/43/Borrelia02.jpeg)
Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), this photomicrographic montage was created by combining two slides processed using the immunofluorescent antibody technique (IFA). One slide was used to identify spirochetes that express outer surface protein D, resulting in yellow- and red-colored organisms. Again using IFA on the second slide, spirochetes were labeled with an anti-B. burgdorferi antibody, producing organisms that had stained a glowing green color. The two slides were then combined producing this B. burgdorferi multicolored image. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![With its abdomen engorged with a host blood meal, this image depicts a lateral, or side view of a female blacklegged, or deer tick, Ixodes scapularis.From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/e/ed/Borrelia04.jpeg)
With its abdomen engorged with a host blood meal, this image depicts a lateral, or side view of a female blacklegged, or deer tick, Ixodes scapularis.From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![This photomicrograph shows a stained thin smear of peripheral blood from a newborn child (born in Colorado in 2011) indicating the presence of numerous Borrelia hermsii spirochetes (arrows), consistent with a tickborne relapsing fever (TBRF) infection. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/9/9b/Borrelia05.jpeg)
This photomicrograph shows a stained thin smear of peripheral blood from a newborn child (born in Colorado in 2011) indicating the presence of numerous Borrelia hermsii spirochetes (arrows), consistent with a tickborne relapsing fever (TBRF) infection. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
![Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), this digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicts a green-colored, spiral-shaped Borrelia hermsii bacterium set atop a number of red-colored red blood cells (RBCs). B. hermsii is the causative agent of tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Borrelia01.jpeg)
![Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), this photomicrographic montage was created by combining two slides processed using the immunofluorescent antibody technique (IFA). One slide was used to identify spirochetes that express outer surface protein D, resulting in yellow- and red-colored organisms. Again using IFA on the second slide, spirochetes were labeled with an anti-B. burgdorferi antibody, producing organisms that had stained a glowing green color. The two slides were then combined producing this B. burgdorferi multicolored image. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Borrelia02.jpeg)
![With its abdomen engorged with a host blood meal, this image depicts a lateral, or side view of a female blacklegged, or deer tick, Ixodes scapularis.From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Borrelia04.jpeg)
![This photomicrograph shows a stained thin smear of peripheral blood from a newborn child (born in Colorado in 2011) indicating the presence of numerous Borrelia hermsii spirochetes (arrows), consistent with a tickborne relapsing fever (TBRF) infection. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Borrelia05.jpeg)