Borrelia

• Borrelia burgdorferi

  Causes Lyme disease
• Borrelia burgdorferi

  • Spiral shaped, spirochete
• Borrelia burgdorferi

  • Common in the northeastern part of the United States
• Exody's tick


  Vector for Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma, and Babesia
• Giemsa stain


  Used to visualize Borrelia burgdorferi
• Deer and mice


  • Reservoirs for Borrelia burgdorferi, important to tick life cycle
• Erythema migrans


  Bull's-eye rash, stage 1 of Lyme disease
• Stage 1 Lyme disease

  • Flu-like symptoms
• Bell's palsy


  Paralysis of half the face, stage 2 of Lyme disease
• Stage 2 Lyme disease

  • Carditis (inflammation of the heart), AV block
• Migratory arthritis


  Joint pain that spreads from one joint to another, stage 3 of Lyme disease
• Encephalitis


  Infection of the entire brain, stage 3 of Lyme disease
• Doxycycline


  First-line treatment for Lyme disease
• Amoxicillin


  Can be used to treat Lyme disease in pregnant women and children
• Cephalosporins (e.g. cefuroxime)


  Can be used to treat Lyme disease in pregnant women and children
• A 50-year-old female presents with a rash on her leg and general malaise after a hiking trip to the Appalachian mountains. If left untreated, the most likely complication is arthritis.