(bŏ-rē′lē-ă)

(bŏ-rel′ē-ă)
[Amédée Borrel, Fr. bacteriologist, 1867-1936 + -ia]
A genus of spirochetes, some of which cause disease in humans.

Borrelia afzelii

The species that is the causative agent of Lyme disease in Europe.

Borrelia burgdorferi

The species that is the causative agent of Lyme disease in North America and Europe.

Borrelia duttonii

The species that is the causative agent for East African tick-borne relapsing fever. Other causes of endemic relapsing fever include B. hermii.

Borrelia garinii

The species that commonly infects birds and rodents in Central and Western Europe and can cause tickborne borreliosis in humans.

Borrelia lonestari

The species that is the causative agent of Southern tick-associated rash illness.

Borrelia miyamotoi

The species that may be the causative agent of a nonspecific flulike syndrome of fevers, chills, muscle aches, anorexia, fatigue, and headache accompanied by low white blood cell counts, thrombocytopenia and transaminitis, or a more severe syndrome, characterized by meningoencephalitis. Like B. burgdorferi, it is transmitted to humans by tick bite.

Borrelia recurrentis

The species that is the causative agent of louse-borne relapsing fever.