UC Irvine

Bor.rel.i.el'la. N.L. fem. dim. n. Borreliella named after Amédée Borrel (1867–1936). Spirochaetes / Spirochaetes / Spirochaetales / Borreliaceae / Borreliella Cells are helical, 0.2–0.3 µm in diameter, 15–30 µm in length, and do not have hooked ends. Coils are regular or irregular in spacing and amplitude. Motile. Inner and outer membranes with overlapping periplasmic flagella; 7–11 subterminal insertion points in most species. Aniline‐stain‐positive. Microaerophilic. Ferments glucose. Most species are cultivable in complex, serum‐containing media that include N‐acetylglucosamine. Optimum growth is between 33 and 38°C. Cells are polyploid, with each genome comprising a linear chromosome and one or more linear and circular plasmids. All known species are host‐associated organisms that are transmitted among mammalian, avian, and reptile reservoirs by a tick of the prostriate genus Ixodes. In unfed ticks, the organisms are located in the midgut and only travel to the salivary glands once the next blood meal commences. Transovarial transmission in tick vector does not occur. Members of this genus include all known agents of Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) as well as several species not associated with human disease. DNA G + C content (mol%): 28–29. Type species: Borreliella burgdorferi (Adeolu and Gupta 2014, VL163) (basonym: Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson et al. 1984bVP).