Written by undergraduate researcher Zoe Quinn

 

The Many Faces of Borrelia burgdorferi 

 

Borrelia burgdorferi is one of the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. It is typically observed in a spirochete form that looks like a corkscrew. When put under stress, it can change into different forms such as stationary phase persisters and biofilm forms as seen in the photos below.

 

Figure 1. Images of Borrelia burgdorferi in their usual spiral form (A) and their colony-like masses (B) under a dark field microscope.  (Figure credit Miklossy et.al.  2008)

Figure 2.  Images of atypical forms of Borrelia burgdorferi induced by harmful conditions, in which they are curling and forming loops. 
(Figure credit Miklossy et.al.  2008)

 

Figure 3. Images of cystic forms of Borrelia burgdorferi induced by Thioflavin S, observed using atomic force microscopy. (Figure credit Miklossy et.al.  2008)

Some studies have shown that these irregular shapes are more resistant to common antibiotic treatments, such as doxycycline and amoxicillin.  Therefore, these forms have been questioned as the cause of prolonged persistent symptoms of Lyme disease after antibiotic treatment, called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). Although currently it is not possible to link a causal relationship between them.

For more information and photos, you can check the following journal articles:

• Feng, J., Wang, T., Shi, W., Zhang, S., Sullivan, D., Auwaerter, P. G., & Zhang, Y. (2014). Identification of novel activity against Borrelia burgdorferi persisters using an FDA approved drug library. Emerging Microbes & Infections, 3(1), 1-8. doi:10.1038/emi.2014.53
• Miklossy, J., Kasas, S., Zurn, A. D., Mccall, S., Yu, S., & Mcgeer, P. L. (2008). Persisting atypical and cystic forms of Borrelia burgdorferi and local inflammation in Lyme neuroborreliosis. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 5(1), 40. doi:10.1186/1742-2094-5-40

To learn more about PTLDS, visit Medline Plus at this link:

Search for Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome

 

 This post was edited by C. Fisher