Borrelia Burdoferi

Most of us are aware that millions of bacteria are found everywhere around us. Normally they live on the skin, in the intestines, and on the genitalia. The vast majority of bacteria do not cause disease, and many bacteria are actually helpful and even necessary for good health but unfortunately that’s not true in every case. Some bacteria can be very harmful, if not fatal. One disease causing bacteria that you may be familiar with is Borrelia burgdorferi. This certain type of bacteria is the predominant causing agent of Lyme disease. It is a bacterial species of the spirochete class of the genus Borrelia. B. burgdorferi and it exists in North America and Europe.

Lyme disease was first discovered in the United States in 1975 by Dr. Allen Steere. The disease gets its name because of a mysterious outbreak of rheumatoid arthritis near the community of Lyme, Connecticut. In 1982, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease was discovered by Willy Burgdorferi, who isolated spirochetes belonging the genus Borrelia from the mid-guts of Ixodes ticks. This is how the etiologic agent got the name Borrelia Burgdoferi. From that point forward, reports of Lyme disease has increased dramatically to the point that the disease has become an important health problem in certain areas of the United States. Today, Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne illness in the United States.

Borrelia burgdoferi is a gram negative spirochete. Spirochetes are wide spread in viscous environments and they are found in intestinal tracts of animals and the oral cavity of humans. As far as size, spirochetes are usually much larger than they are wide. For example, Borrelia may have a length of 20-30 um but a width of only 0.2-0.3 um, this is why most spirochetes are viewed using dark-field microscopy. Borrelia burgdorferi has an optimal temperature for growth at 32 degrees Celsius, in a micro aerobic environment. Even under optimal conditions, the generation time is slow; about 12-24 hours....