Borrelia

Taxobox
color = lightblue
name = "Borrelia"
regnum = Bacteria
phylum = Spirochaetes
classis = Spirochaetes
ordo = Spirochaetales
familia = Spirochaetaceae
genus = "Borrelia"
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision ="Borrelia afzelii"
"Borrelia anserina"
"Borrelia burgdorferi"
"Borrelia garinii"
"Borrelia hermsii"
"Borrelia recurrentis"
"Borrelia valaisiana"
etc."

"Borrelia" is a genus of bacteria of the spirochete phylum. It causes borreliosis, 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 disease

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 other known 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. "Borrelia 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.

External links

* [http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Borrelia Borrelia Microbe Wiki Page]
* [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=138 NCBI Borrelia Taxonomy Browser]
* Walid MS, Ajjan M, Patel N: Borreliosis And Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis Coinfection With Positive Rheumatoid Factor And Monospot Test: Case-Report. The Internet Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2007; Volume 6, Number 1. [http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlPrinter=true&xmlFilePath=journals/ijid/vol6n1/borreliosis.xml]