Growth, cysts and kinetics of Borrelia garinii

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=20835623&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks

Excerpt:

The aim of the present paper was to evaluate cyst formation and
growth parameters of Borrelia garinii in a range of media
differing in formulation and cost. A qualitative assessment of
morphology and motility of B. garinii was conducted. All media
were prepared aseptically and used in test tubes or Petri dishes.
For each medium, the initial spirochete concentration was
standardized to 10(3) spirochets/mL. The following culture media
were suitable to grow B.
garinii: Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly, brain heart infusion and PMR.
Growth was minimal at six weeks post-inoculation and maximum
spirochete density was observed between 9-12 weeks. Often, the
cultures developed cysts of different sizes, isolated or in
groups, with a spiraled portion of variable sizes, mainly in
unfavorable culture media. Brazilian Lyme disease-like illness,
also known as Baggio-Yoshinari syndrome (BYS), is a new and
interesting emerging tick-borne disease, caused by Borrelia
burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes, only during its cystic forms.
It has been assumed that the peculiar clinical and laboratory
features of BYS are consequential to the absence of a human
sucker Ixodes ricinus complex tick at risk areas in Brazil,
supporting the concept that the borrelia phenotypic expression
pattern is modified as it is transmitted through the host.