''Borrelia anserina'' is a helical

spirochete A spirochaete () or spirochete is a member of the phylum Spirochaetota (), (synonym Spirochaetes) which contains distinctive diderm (double-membrane) gram-negative bacteria, most of which have long, helically coiled (corkscrew-shaped or s ...

bacterium Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

with dimensions around 8-20/0,2-0,3 μm and with five to eight spirals. Their mobility is very high. ''B. anserina'' can be colored with the May Grunwald-Giemsa method.

Cultivation

In microbiological laboratories, ''B. anserina'' bacteria can be grown on special protein-enriched media (rich in ovoalbumins or animal tissue (that contains

myoglobin Myoglobin (symbol Mb or MB) is an iron- and oxygen-binding protein found in the cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue of vertebrates in general and in almost all mammals. Myoglobin is distantly related to hemoglobin. Compared to hemoglobin, myoglobi ...

)), in

anaerobic Anaerobic means "living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen", as opposed to aerobic which means "living, active, or occurring only in the presence of oxygen." Anaerobic may also refer to: * Anaerobic adhesive, a bonding a ...

conditions. They can also be grown in embryonic chicken eggs. The laboratory cultivation of ''B. anserina'' is rarely done and constitutes a diagnostic method in bird borreliosis and spirochetosis. ''B. anserina'' used to be maintained in embryonic chicken eggs or by serial passages in domestic chickens until in 1986 it was discovered that it could be cultivated in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly (BSK) medium, which facilitated and made future research more cost-effective.

Pathogenity

''B. anserina'' is a pathogenic agent for poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks etc.) and causes a disease called borreliosis or spirochetosis. This bacterium is transmitted from bird to bird by

ticks Ticks (order Ixodida) are parasitic arachnids that are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, species, and "fullness". Ticks are external parasites, living by ...

from the ''

Argas ''Argas'' is a genus of tick. Species * '' Argas abdussalami'' Hoogstraal & McCarthy, 1965 * '' Argas acinus'' Whittick, 1938 * '' Argas africolumbae'' Hoogstraal, Kaiser, Walker, Ledger, Converse & Rice, 1975 * '' Argas arboreus'' Kaiser, Hoo ...

'' and '' Ornitodorus'' genera. The major symptoms of an infection with ''B. anserina'' are:

anemia Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, th ...

diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...

, and severe neurological dysfunctions.

Cultivation

Pathogenity

References

Further reading