Structure+-+Lyme+Disease

=Structure=

//Borrelia burgdorferi// is the bacterial microorganism that causes Lyme disease in humans. It has a spiral shape (spirochete) and a Gram-negative cell wall. In addition to the continuous chromosome characteristic of all bacteria, it has an unusually high number of plasmids, one of which (a plasmid named Ip25) is absolutely necessary for proper infection.

One of its most important features is the presence of flagella in the cytoplasm between the cytoplasmic membrane and the thin layer of PG. The way the flagella interact with the protoplasmic cylinder it surrounds lets the bacteria travel through "highly viscous fluids and materials," and body tissue, allowing it to quickly infect the surrounding area.

The microbe also displays unique outer membrane proteins when present in infected mammals. Scientists speculate that these may play an important role in the way the bacteria infect body cells––possibly similar to how a bacterium might use an Fc receptor to protect itself from opsonization and neutralization.