Medical Analysis of Lyme Disease
Medical Analysis of Lyme Disease
I.The Bacteria- Borrelia Burgdorferi
Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a spiral-shaped bacterium that is frequently carried by deer ticks of the genus Ixodes.
Borrelia burgdorferi is named after its discoverer, Willy Burgdorfer, PhD. When the deer tick bites a human being, the bacteria are transmitted to the human bloodstream, where it travels throughout the body. Because the bite of the deer tick is usually painless and does not itch, most people do not recall the bite and so cannot trace the origin or the time of onset of the infection.
Borrelia burgdorferi is a spirochete. Spirochetes are a group of phylogenetically-distinct procaryotes that have a unique mode of motility by means of axial filaments. Spirochetes are widespread in viscous environments and they are found in the intestinal tracts of animals and the oral cavity of humans. The spirochetes have a unique cell surface which accompanies their unique type of motility. The axial filaments are contained within the periplasmic space between a rigid peptidoglycan helix and a multi-layer, flexible outer membrane sheath. When the filaments rotate within this space, the spirochetes move in cork-screw fashion. This mode of motility in spirochetes is thought to be an adaptation to viscous environments such as aquatic sediments and the intestinal tracts of animals.
Spirochetes are usually much longer than they are wide. Hence, most spirochetes cannot be viewed using conventional light microscopy. Dark-field microscopy must be used to view spirochetes. Dark field microscopy utilizes a special condenser which directs light toward an object at a angle, rather than from the bottom. As a result, particles or cells are seen as light objects against a dark background.
The spirochetes are not classified as either Gram-positive or Gram-negative. When Borrelia burgdorferi is Gram-stained, the cells stain a weak Gram-negative by default, as safranin is the last dye used. Borrelia, like most spirochetes, does have an outer membrane that contains an LPS-like substance, an inner membrane, and a periplasmic space which contains a layer of peptidoglycan. Therefore, it has a Gram-negative bacterial type cell wall, despite its staining characteristics.
II. The Disease-Lyme Disease
Lyme disease first appeared in Lyme, Connecticut, in October 1975. Several people complained to their doctor of feeling fatigued, having pain in their joints, and noticing an unusual rash on their body. Also, several children were reported to...