Lyme disease: causative agent

Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium B. burgdorferi can be described as a multi-system disorder affecting the joints, internal organs, the nervous system, the eyes and the skin. The etiologic agent of LD is the Gramnegative bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted by ticks. There is currently no vaccine available to prevent the disease, as the only licensed one was withdrawn from the market by the manufacturer in 2002 due to potential side effects. ... 

Lymerix (rOspA, a lipoprotein found on the surface of Borrelia burgdorferi, the major causative agent of Lyme s disease. Produced in E. coli) Smithkline Beecham L5une disease vaccine... 

Simple proteins can also act as potent agents for cell destruction. The main active component of bee sting venom is a protein composed of 26 amino acids called mellitin which adopts a helical, and potentially membrane puncturing, conformation. The protein is also an inhibitor of bacteria that cause Lyme disease and suppresses infections caused by Candida albicans, Mycoplasma hominis and Chlamydia tracomatis. 

The causative agent in Lyme disease is a spirochetal bacterium (Borrelia burgdorferi) that is transmitted directly through the bite of a deer tick. Optic neittopathy can occur due to Lyme disease and manifests as papillitis, retrobulbar neuropathy, or ischemic optic neiu-opathy. Serologic testing may help to identify Lyme infection by use of indirect immunofluorescent assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The treatment of Lyme disease includes oral or intravenous peniciUin, doxycycUne, erythromycin, or ceftriaxone. 

Clinical usage Tetracylines are effective for sexually transmitted diseases caused by chlamydia and syphilis. They are also commonly used for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and in combination with other agents for Helicobacter pylori. 

Severe Lyme disease may be treated with 20 million units of intravenous penicillin G daily for 14 days.The causative agent erysipeloid, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, is sensitive to penicillin. Uncomplicated infection responds to a single injection of 1.2 million units of penicillin G benzathine. If endocarditis is present, penicillin G, 12-20 million units per day for 4-6 weeks is required. 

Causative agent of Lyme disease, an emergent infcctioiE disease discovered in the mid 1970s. 

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