Caister Academic Press

Genomics of Relapsing Fever Spirochetes

Luke C. Kingry
from: Lyme Disease and Relapsing Fever Spirochetes: Genomics, Molecular Biology, Host Interactions and Disease Pathogenesis (Edited by: Justin D. Radolf and D. Scott Samuels). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2021) Pages: 63-72.

Abstract

The relapsing fever Borrelia are composed of a genetically diverse array of bacterial species found in many areas of the world. All species studied to date share a complex genomic structure including a long linear chromosome, an array of linear plasmids, and in some cases circular plasmids similar to the Lyme disease Borrelia. While this complex genomic structure is shared with the Lyme disease Borrelia, the relapsing fever species possess distinct genetic elements that have been shown to be important for their unique pathogenesis as compared to the Lyme disease spirochete species. Genomic characterization of relapsing fever Borrelia species has greatly accelerated over the last decade. This chapter aims to discuss those advances and the role genomics will play in the understanding of this expanding group of bacterial species read more ...
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