Chapter 3: Lyme Disease

*Spirochetal infection

*Borellia burgdorferi

*spirochete
*weak gram negative bacteria

*microaerobic (doesn't need a lot of oxygen)
*motile because of bundled perisplasmic flagella
*slow growing 24-48 hr doubling time

*reservoir: ticks and other animals (deer)
*portal of entry: epidermic
*mode of transmission: arthropod vector (black legged deer) tick bite (ussually 36-48 hr duration)

*36-48 hrs of being on body

*3-30 dys

*spirochete injeted into skin (multiplies and spreads radially)
*spirochetes enters lymphatic and circulatory system (spread throughout body)
*leads to chronic spirochete infection and immune response to damaged tissues

*erythema migrans (bull's eye rash)
*flu like symptoms (fever, chills, headache, faigue, muscle and joint aches, swollen lymph nodes)

3-30 dys after bite