Borrelia burgdorferi
My father was diagnosed with early stage Lyme disease this morning, so in honor of him I want to talk a little bit about Borelia burgdorferi.
Lyme disease was described a few decades before the cause was known. The present form became studied after outbreaks occured in the area around Lyme, Connecticut, giving the disease its popular name.
B. burgdorferi is a spirochete bacteria, meaning that it has a helical coiled shape. It was first identified by Jorge Benanch, of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, who developed the first critical ELISA antibody test that could test for the presence of the bacteria. Dr. Benanch just so happens to also be the boss of my department and his wife was one of my high school biology teachers (now there’s something wikipedia can’t tell you). Soon after it was isolated by Willy Burgdorferi, for whom the bug was named.
The life cycle of Borrelia is interesting because they require ticks for transmission and mammals to feed on. Tick larvae become infected with Borrelia during the larvae or nymph stage when they feed on white-footed mice. Borrelia remains in the tick as it advances in its life cycle to adult. The adult ticks then feed on small mammals or humans, transmitting the spirochete where (in humans and dogs) it can become pathogenic. However adult ticks preferentially feed on white-tailed deer (no immediate relation to white-footed mouse) and is the source of the name ‘deer tick.’ The adult tick has to feed on deer blood for at least three days in order to be able to reproduce. Borrelia is nonpathogenic to deer.
This is an interesting commensal/parasitic relationship between these three organisms. The ticks rely on deer and Borrelia relies on the ticks. They are barely aware of the others existence, yet they have evolved together in a unique sort of hierarchy.
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March 21st, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Interesting…
My dad got lyme disease a while back too, and I almost got it.
Got that damn tick off in time…
March 21st, 2008 at 9:23 pm
[...] burgdorferi Published in March 21st, 2008 Posted by in Pests kangta164 wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptThe life cycle of Borrelia is [...]
August 6th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
My daughter has recieved a clinical diagnosis of Lyme Disease however testing has been confusing for us. Elisa+, IGg-, IGm+ and PCR-. Physical evidence may or may not be Lyme disease 7 mm lesion in the pons area of the brain and symptoms visual distortion. I am currently taking a micro course. You simplifed some of the information for me, Thanks.
August 6th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
glad I could help.
For your info, ELISA is a test that measures the presence of cell recognition factors on the surface of the bacteria. As far as I know, it’s still the most accurate test. IGg and IGm are immunoglobulins. That test is basically seeing if your daughter’s body has started to mount a immune resistance against Borrelia. PCR is a DNA amplification procedure where they isolate DNA and look for genetic markers that indicates the presence of pathogen DNA, and therefore the presence of the bacteria.
Good luck, and I wish your daughter a speedy recovery.