ANALYSIS OF INTRA-SPECIFIC VARIATION IN THE FATTY-ACID PROFILES OF BORRELIA-BURGDORFERI

Analysis of the fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) of bacteria is a comm only used chemotaxonomic technique. Application of this methodology to spirochaetes associated with Lyme borreliosis revealed distinct clust ers corresponding to three genetically distinguished groups: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. garinii, and the VS461 group. However, B . garinii formed a common group with B. hermsii, a relapsing fever spi rochaete, and VS461 grouped with B. turicatae and B. parkeri, two othe r relapsing fever spirochaetes. The diversity in fatty acid profiles o f Lyme disease spirochaetes has implications for the protean clinical manifestations of the disease.