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Borrelia recurrentis
Photomicrographic view of a culture specimen showing Borrelia recurrentis bacteria
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Spirochaetota
Class:	Spirochaetia
Order:	Spirochaetales
Family:	Borreliaceae
Genus:	Borrelia
Species:	B. recurrentis
Binomial name
Borrelia recurrentis (Lebert, 1874) Bergey et al., 1925

Borrelia recurrentis is a species of Borrelia, a spirochaete bacterium associated with relapsing fever. B. recurrentis is usually transmitted from person to person by the human body louse. Since the 1800s, the body louse has been known as its only known vector.

B. recurrentis DNA was found in 23% of head lice from patients with louse-borne relapsing fever in Ethiopia. Whether head lice can transmit these bacteria from one person to another remains to be determined.

It is notable for its ability to alter the proteins expressed on its surface, which causes the "relapsing" characteristic of relapsing fever.

References

1. Cutler SJ, Moss J, Fukunaga M, Wright DJ, Fekade D, Warrell D (October 1997). "Borrelia recurrentis characterization and comparison with relapsing-fever, Lyme-associated, and other Borrelia spp". International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. 47 (4): 958–68. doi:10.1099/00207713-47-4-958. PMID 9336893.
2. Meri T, Cutler SJ, Blom AM, Meri S, Jokiranta TS (July 2006). "Relapsing fever spirochetes Borrelia recurrentis and B. duttonii acquire complement regulators C4b-binding protein and factor H". Infection and Immunity. 74 (7): 4157–63. doi:10.1128/IAI.00007-06. PMC 1489703. PMID 16790790.
3. Madigan, Michael T.; Martinko, John M. (2006). Brock biology of microorganisms. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 410. ISBN 0-13-144329-1.
4. ^ Boutellis, A; Mediannikov, O; Bilcha, KD; Ali, J; Campelo, D; Barker, SC; et al. (2013). "Borrelia recurrentis in head lice, Ethiopia". Emerg Infect Dis. 19 (5): 796–798. doi:10.3201/eid1905.121480. PMC 3647509. PMID 23648147.
5. Fisher, Bruce; Harvey, Richard P.; Strohl, William A.; Champe, Pamela C. (2007). Lippincott's Illustrated reviews, microbiology. Hagerstwon, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 166. ISBN 978-0-7817-8215-9.

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