Borrelia
Genus of bacteria / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Borrelia is a genus of bacteria of the spirochete phylum.[1] Several species cause Lyme disease, also called Lyme borreliosis, a zoonotic, vector-borne disease transmitted by ticks. Other species of Borrelia cause relapsing fever, and are transmitted by ticks or lice, depending on the species of bacteria.[2] A few Borrelia species as Candidatus Borrelia mahuryensis harbor intermediate genetic features between Lyme disease and relapsing fever Borrelia.[3] The genus is named after French biologist Amédée Borrel (1867–1936), who first documented the distinction between a species of Borrelia, B. anserina, and the other known type of spirochete at the time, Treponema pallidum.[4] This bacterium must be viewed using dark-field microscopy,[5] which make the cells appear white against a dark background. Borrelia species are grown in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly medium.[5] Of 52 known species of Borrelia, 20 are members of the Lyme disease group (with an additional 3 proposed),[6] 29 belong to the relapsing fever group, and two are members of a genetically distinct third group typically found in reptiles.[4] A proposal has been made to split the Lyme disease group based on genetic diversity and move them to their own genus, Borelliella,[7] but this change is not widely accepted.[4] This bacterium uses hard and soft ticks and lice as vectors.[8][9] Testing for the presence of the bacteria in a human includes two-tiered serological testing, including immunoassays and immunoblotting.[10]
Borrelia | |
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Borrelia burgdorferi the causative agent of Lyme disease (borreliosis) magnified 400 times | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Bacteria |
Phylum: | Spirochaetota |
Class: | Spirochaetia |
Order: | Spirochaetales |
Family: | Borreliaceae |
Genus: | Borrelia Swellengrebel, 1907 |
Type species | |
Borrelia gallinara (Sakharoff 1891) Bergey et al. 1925 | |
Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms | |
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