B. burgdorferi

Question 1

What is the natural reservoir for B. burgdorferi?

Answer 1

Mice, shrews, ixodes ticks

Question 2

How B. Burgdorferi transmitted?

Answer 2

Through bites

Question 3

What is the human infection cycle from a tick bite?

Answer 3

Bacteria multiply, alter gene expression, and disseminate in tick
Bacteria are inoculated into the skin
Bacteria spread in the skin (erythema migrans lesion)
Blood vessel invasion
Multiplication, penetration through vasculature, dissemination, entry into tissue matrix, tissue colonization
Tissue invasion
Persistent infection

Question 4

How does intravital microscopy work?

Answer 4

Several holes illuminate the specimen in multiple places
Viewing window implanted via surgery
Allows you to see the organism in its natural environment
Can see live behaviour of organism in living organism (ie. mice)

Question 5

How does B. burgdorferi use internaliztion?

Answer 5

Crawls along endothelium using surface proteins
Engages specific host receptors
Host cell begins to wrap it’s membrane around spirochete
Involves cytoskeletal rearrangement

Question 6

What is the evidence that B. burgdorferi utilizes the pathway for macropynocytosis?

Answer 6

Cdc42 and Rac1 are involved in the process, and inhibiting these decreases internalization of B. burgdorferi