Microbiology Commons^™

Functional Analyses Of The Dna- And Rna-Binding Protein Spovg In Borrelia Burgdorferi, Christina R. Savage

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, exists in a defined enzootic cycle involving Ixodes scapularis ticks and various vertebrates. Humans can serve as an accidental host, if a tick colonized with B. burgdorferi happens to feed on a human. B. burgdorferi are also accidental pathogens: they do not make toxins, or destroy host tissue by other mechanisms. They merely transmit between vector and host to survive. In order to do this, they must effectively sense their current environment, and appropriately alter cellular processes. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of how B. burgdorferi manages to do this has been …