POSTERS - BLAST X - University of Utah

BLAST X Thurs. Morning Session
MOTILITY, CHEMOTAXIS AND VIRULENCE OF BORRELIA BURGDORFERI, THE LYME
DISEASE SPIROCHETE
M. A. Motaleb 1 , P. Stewart 2 . A. Bestor 2 , P. Rosa 2 and N. Charon 3
1 Dept of Microbiology & Immunology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
2 Human Bacterial Pathogenesis, NIH, RML, Hamilton, MT
3 Dept of Microbiology, Immunology & cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease. It is the most prevalent
arthropod borne infection in the United States with 27,444 reported cases on 2007. The
disease is a multiple-systemic disorder with various clinical manifestations including erythema
migrans rash, arthritis, cardiac, musculoskeletal and neurological manifestations.
B. burgdorferi exists in nature in an enzootic cycle. Ixodes scapularis ticks (commonly
known as deer ticks) acquire the infection when they feed on an infected host, mainly rodents.
During subsequent tick feeding, which lasts for several days, B. burgdorferi migrate from the tick
midgut, pass through the salivary glands, and are then transmitted to the mammal through the
saliva. B. burgdorferi is highly invasive. After being deposited in the skin following a tick bite, the
spirochetes can invade many tissues including the joints, heart, and nervous system.
Motility and chemotaxis are critical for bacterial survival and adaptation in diverse
environmental conditions. In several species of bacteria, motility and chemotaxis have been
shown to be associated with the disease process. Results obtained using B. burgdorferi with
mutations in key motility and chemotaxis genes also indicate that these activities are required
for the pathogenesis of Lyme disease. These studies could lead to the development of a novel
pharmacological agent to treat/prevent Lyme disease.
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