Borrelia
Borrelia burgdorferi the causative agent of Lyme disease (borreliosis) magnified 400 times
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Spirochaetes
Order:	Spirochaetales
Family:	Spirochaetaceae
Genus:	Borrelia Swellengrebel 1907
Species
Borrelia afzelii Canica et al. 1994 Borrelia americana Rudenko et al. 2010 Borrelia andersonii ♠ Marconi et al. 1995 Borrelia anserina ♦ (Sakharoff 1891) Bergey et al. 1925 Borrelia baltazardii ♦ (ex Karimi et al. 1979) Karimi et al. 1983 Borrelia bavariensis ♠ Margos et al. 2009 Borrelia bissettii ♠ Postic et al. 1998 Borrelia brasiliensis ♦ Davis 1952 Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson et al. 1984 emend. Baranton et al. 1992 (Lyme disease spirochete) Borrelia californiensis ♠ Postic et al. 2007 Borrelia carolinensis Rudenko et al. 2011 Borrelia caucasica ♦ (Kandelaki 1945) Davis 1957 Borrelia coriaceae Johnson et al. 1987 Borrelia crocidurae ♦ (Leger 1917) Davis 1957 Borrelia dugesii ♦ (Mazzotti 1949) Davis 1957 Borrelia duttonii ♦ (Novy and Knapp 1906) Bergey et al. 1925 Borrelia garinii Baranton et al. 1992 Borrelia graingeri ♦ (Heisch 1953) Davis 1957 Borrelia harveyi ♦ (Garnham 1947) Davis 1948 Borrelia hermsii ♦ (Davis 1942) Steinhaus 1946 Borrelia hispanica ♦ (de Buen 1926) Steinhaus 1946 Borrelia japonica Kawabata et al. 1994 Borrelia kurtenbachii Margos et al. 2010 Borrelia latyschewii ♦ (Sofiev 1941) Davis 1948 Borrelia lonestari ♠ Barbour et al. 1996 Borrelia lusitaniae Le Fleche et al. 1997 Borrelia mazzottii ♦ Davis 1956 Borrelia merionesi ♠ Hougen 1974 Borrelia microti ♠ Borrelia miyamotoi Fukunaga et al. 1995 Borrelia parkeri ♦ (Davis 1942) Steinhaus 1946 Borrelia persica ♦ (Dschunkowsky 1913) Steinhaus 1946 Borrelia queenslandica PopeJG et al. 1962 Borrelia recurrentis ♦ (Lebert 1874) Bergey et al. 1925 Borrelia sinica Masuzawa et al. 2001 Borrelia spielmanii Richter et al. 2006 Borrelia tanukii Fukunaga et al. 1997 Borrelia theileri ♦ (Laveran 1903) Bergey et al. 1925 Borrelia tillae ♦ Zumpt and Organ 1961 Borrelia turcica Güner et al. 2004 Borrelia turdi Fukunaga et al. 1997 Borrelia turicatae ♦ (Brumpt 1933) Steinhaus 1946 Borrelia valaisiana Wang et al. 1997 Borrelia venezuelensis ♦ (Brumpt 1921) Brumpt 1922 Borrelia vincentii ♥ Candidatus Borrelia texasensis Lin et al. 2005

Borrelia is a genus of bacteria of the spirochete phylum.^[1] It causes borreliosis, a zoonotic, vector-borne disease transmitted primarily by ticks and by lice, depending on the species.^[2] The genus is named after the French biologist Amédée Borrel (1867–1936). There are 52 known species of Borrelia. 21 are members of the Lyme disease group, 29 belong to the relapsing fever group, and two are members of a third group.^[3]

Phylogeny[edit]

The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) ^[4] and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)^[5]
and the phylogeny is based on 16S rRNA-based LTP release 111 by 'The All-Species Living Tree' Project.^[6]

Notes:

♦ Type strain lost or not available

♠ Strains found at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) but not listed in the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LSPN)

♥ Strains not lodged at National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) or listed in the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN)

Lyme disease[edit]

Of the 52 known species of Borrelia, 12^{[citation needed]} 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, and Borrelia garinii.

Direct tests include culture of Borrelia from skin, blood, or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and detection of genetic material by polymerase chain reaction in skin, blood, or synovial fluid.
Two-tiered serological testing is performed for differential diagnosis of Borrelia infection. The first-tier tests detect specific antibodies (IgM and IgG together or separately) and include enzyme immunoassays (e.g. ELISAs) and immunofluorescent assays. Positive results for first-tier tests are confirmed using second-tier testing.
The second-tier consists of standardized immunoblotting, either by using Western blots or blots striped with diagnostically important purified antigens. Positive results for second-tier tests are confirmatory for the presence of Borrelia infection.^[7]

Relapsing fever[edit]

Relapsing fever borreliosis often occurs with severe bacteremia.^[8]B. recurrentis is transmitted by the human body louse; no other animal reservoir of B. recurrentis is known. 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 B. hermsii, B. parkeri, or B. miyamotoi,^[9] which can be spread from rodents, and serve as a reservoir for the infection, via a tick vector. B. hermsii and B. recurrentis cause very similar diseases, although the disease associated with B. 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.

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Samuels DS; Radolf, JD (editors) (2010). Borrelia: Molecular Biology, Host Interaction and Pathogenesis. Caister Academic Press.
  ISBN 978-1-904455-58-5.


• Sayers et al. "Borrelia". National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) taxonomy database [2]. Retrieved 2013-03-20.


• The All-Species Living Tree Project. "16S rRNA-based LTP release 111 (full tree)". Silva Comprehensive Ribosomal RNA Database [3]. Retrieved 2013-03-20.


• 
  Guo BP; Teneberg S; Münch R; Terunuma D; Hatano K; Matsuoka K; Angström J; Borén T; Bergström S (2009). "Relapsing fever Borrelia binds to neolacto glycans and mediates rosetting of human erythrocytes". PNAS. 106 (46): 19280–19285. Bibcode:2009PNAS..10619280G. doi:10.1073/pnas.0905470106. PMC 2771742. PMID 19884498.
  


• McNeil, Donald (19 September 2011). "New Tick-Borne Disease Is Discovered". The New York Times. pp. D6. Retrieved 20 September 2011.

External links[edit]

• 
  Borrelia genomes and related information at PATRIC, a Bioinformatics Resource Center funded by NIAID
  


• Borrelia Microbe Wiki Page


• NCBI Borrelia Taxonomy Browser