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Glite Dictionary
Borrelia burgdorferi

Borrelia burgdorferi

1 7.7
A type of bacteria that causes Lyme disease and spreads to people through tick bites
  • noun
  • /bɔːˈrɛliə bɜːrɡˈdɔːrfəri/
  • Specialized
: Borrelia burgdorferi
  • The deer tick carries Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease.
  • Borrelia burgdorferi and Babesia

Examples

  • Patients infected with Borrelia burgdorferi often experience symptoms such as fever and fatigue.

  • Lyme disease is not a notifiable disease in the UK, although Borrelia burgdorferi is a notifiable pathogen.

    Academic text (2014)

  • The deer tick, Ixodes scapularis, carries Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The 2 patients with erythema migrans had detectable antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, by standard 2-tier testing.

    Academic text (2013)

  • Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is primarily transmitted by ticks.

Synonyms

Lyme disease spirochete
vsBorrelia burgdorferi
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A germ that causes Lyme disease and spreads through tick bites

is the specific scientific name showing its genus classification

Surface Forms

Borrelia burgdorferi singular

Morphology

borrelia + burgdorferi

This is a Linnaean binomial (genus + species), so a learner who knows 'Borrelia' as a bacterial genus can infer the phrase refers to a particular species within that genus. However, the species epithet 'burgdorferi' is an eponym with no lexical meaning and clinical details (that it causes Lyme disease and is tick-transmitted) are not derivable from the parts, making the overall meaning only partially predictable.

Etymology

Borrelia burgdorferi was named for the researcher Willy Burgdorfer, who found this tiny corkscrew-shaped germ living in 'ticks'. Think of burgdorferi and a tick to remember the bacterium that 'causes Lyme disease'.