Borrelia burgdorferi is the etiologic agent of which disease?

Borrelia burgdorferi is the etiologic agent of which disease?

• A. Lyme disease
• B. Rat-bite fever
• C. Relapsing fever
• D. Q fever

Answer: (A)

Borrelia burgdorferi is a spirochete transmitted by Ixodes ticks, and it causes Lyme disease. In humans, the infection often begins with an expanding skin rash called erythema migrans, accompanied by fever and malaise. If not treated, the organism can disseminate, leading to joint arthritis, facial nerve palsy, meningitis, or heart involvement. Other conditions listed are caused by different organisms—relapsing fever by Borrelia species such as recurrentis or duttonii, Q fever by Coxiella burnetii, and rat-bite fever by Streptobacillus moniliformis or Spirillum minus—so the disease linked to Borrelia burgdorferi is Lyme disease.

Borrelia burgdorferi is a spirochete transmitted by Ixodes ticks, and it causes Lyme disease. In humans, the infection often begins with an expanding skin rash called erythema migrans, accompanied by fever and malaise. If not treated, the organism can disseminate, leading to joint arthritis, facial nerve palsy, meningitis, or heart involvement. Other conditions listed are caused by different organisms—relapsing fever by Borrelia species such as recurrentis or duttonii, Q fever by Coxiella burnetii, and rat-bite fever by Streptobacillus moniliformis or Spirillum minus—so the disease linked to Borrelia burgdorferi is Lyme disease.