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Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a tick-borne disease caused by species of Borrelia bacteria, transmitted by blood-feeding ticks in the genus Ixodes. [4] [9] [10] The most common sign of infection is an expanding red rash, known as erythema migrans (EM), which appears at the site of the tick bite about a week afterwards. [1]
Borrelia burgdorferi is a bacterial species of the spirochete class in the genus Borrelia, and is one of the causative agents of Lyme disease in humans. [1] [2] Along with a few similar genospecies, some of which also cause Lyme disease, it makes up the species complex of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato.
Lyme disease is classified as a zoonosis, meaning it’s it’s spread to humans from animals that exists as natural reservoirs, reservoir meaning that the bacteria typically doesn’t cause serious disease to the animal. And Borrelia species can infect a wide range of animals, including small mammals like mice, lizards, and birds.
[3] [4] Borrelia species in the species complex known to cause Lyme disease are collectively called Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), not to be confused with the single species Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.), a member of the complex, which is responsible for nearly all cases of Lyme disease in North America. [5]
Blacklegged ticks infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, to be exact. Muscle and joint aches can be early indicators of Lyme disease , but they won’t become severe if caught early enough.
Lice that feed on infected humans acquire the Borrelia organisms that then multiply in the hemolymph and gut of the lice. [9] 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. [9]
B. burgdorferi is considered enzootic, meaning that it is perpetuated in animals in the environment, outside of humans. In the cycle from ticks to animals, an uninfected tick larva feeds on an infected host, such as a deer or a mouse, leading to infection of the tick. The infection is transstadial in ticks because the bacterium will persist in ...
The initial sign of about 80% of Lyme infections is an erythema migrans (EM) rash at the site of a tick bite, often near skin folds, such as the armpit, groin, or back of knee, on the trunk, under clothing straps, or in children's hair, ear, or neck. [3] [10] Most people who get infected do not remember seeing a tick or the bite. The EM rash ...