The Stealthy Invader: Understanding Borrelia burgdorferi Borrelia burgdorferi is the primary bacterium responsible for in North America . This spiral-shaped "spirochete" is a master of adaptation, designed to survive and thrive within both ticks and human hosts. 1. How It Spreads
Its spiral shape allows it to "drill" through dense tissues, like cartilage and nerves, where other bacteria might get stuck. borrelia burgdorferi
When an infected tick latches on to feed, the bacteria migrate from its gut to its salivary glands and then into your bloodstream. How It Spreads Its spiral shape allows it
This spirochete causes a characteristic annular rash, arthritis, carditis, and in late stages, encephalopathy. National Institutes of Health (.gov) Why Is Lyme Disease So Hard to Treat? National Institutes of Health (
The bacterium lives in the midgut of certain ticks—primarily the (deer tick) in the Northeast and Midwest, and the western blacklegged tick on the Pacific Coast.