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SECTION I - INFECTIOUS AGENT
NAME: Borrelia burgdorferi
SYNONYM OR CROSS REFERENCE: Lyme disease, relapsing fever, Erythema chronicum migrans (ECM) with polyarthritis,
Lyme arthritis, Tickborne meningopolyneuritis.
CHARACTERISTICS: Spirochete, first identified in 1982.
SECTION II - HEALTH HAZARD
PATHOGENICITY: Tickborne zoonotic disease characterized by distinctive skin lesion (ECM), systematic
symptoms, polyarthritis, and neurological and cardiac involvement; malaise, fatigue, fever, headache, stiff neck,
mylagia, migratory arthralgias or lymphadenopathy lasting several weeks and may precede lesions; neurological and
cardiac abnormalities weeks to months after onset of ECM; chronic arthritis may develop.
EPIDEMIOLOGY: In USA, endemic foci along east coast, Wisconsin, Minnesota, California and Oregon-, One endemic
area in Southern Ontario; Europe, USSR, and Australia; cases occur primarily during summer; distribution coincides
with abundance of relevant ticks.
HOST RANGE: Humans, deer, wild rodents.
INFECTIOUS DOSE: Unknown.
MODE OF TRANSMISSION: By exposure to an infected tick.
INCUBATION PERIOD: From 3-32 days after tick exposure.
COMMUNICABILITY: No evidence of natural transmission from person to person.
SECTION III - DISSEMINATION
RESERVOIR: Deer, wild rodents (mice), ticks through transstadial transmission.
ZOONOSIS: Yes - bite of tick from an infected animal.
VECTORS: Ticks -
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Ixodes dammini (eastern and midwestem USA). |
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Dermacentor variabilis |
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Ixodes pacificus (western USA, Europe) |
SECTION IV - VIABILITY
DRUG SUSCEPTIBILITY: Sensitive to tetracyclines and penicillin.
SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISINFECTANTS: Susceptible to 1% sodium hypochlorite (20% commercial bleach) and 70% ethanol.
PHYSICAL INACTIVATION: Sensitive to heat, UV.
SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST: Infected guinea pig blood - 28 to 35 days at room temperature, survives for short
periods in urine.
SECTION V - MEDICAL
SURVEILLANCE: Monitor for appearance of typical lesions; serological tests show a rise in antibodies
directed against the spirochete.
FIRST AID/TREATMENT: Treatment of ECM stage with tetracycline for adults and penicillin for children may
prevent or lessen the severity of the major late cardiac, neurologic or arthritic complications, other antibiotic
regimes recommended for later stages.
IMMUNIZATION: None available.
PROPHYLAXIS: None available.
SECTION VI - LABORATORY HAZARDS
LABORATORY-AQUIRED INFECTIONS: 45 reported cases up to 1976 with 2 deaths.
SOURCES/SPECIMENS: Clinical specimens - blood, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, skin scrapings, retinal and synovial
specimens; naturally or experimentally infected mammals, their ectoparasites and their infected tissues.
PRIMARY HAZARDS: Accidental parenteral inoculation and exposure to infectious aerosols.
SPECIAL HAZARDS: Ectoparasites (ticks) on laboratory animals.
SECTION VII - RECOMMENDED PRECAUTIONS
CONTAINMENT REQUIREMENTS: Biosafety Level 2 practices, containment equipment and facilities for activities
involving known or potentially infectious materials, including necropsy of infected animals.
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING: Laboratory coat; gloves should be worn during necropsy of infected animals and when
contact with infectious materials is unavoidable.
OTHER PRECAUTIONS: None
SECTION VIII - HANDLING INFORMATION
SPILLS: Allow aerosols to settle; wearing protective clothing, gently cover spill with paper towels and
apply 1% sodium hypochlorite (20% commercial bleach), starting at perimeter and working way towards the center
of the spill; allow sufficient contact time (30 min.) before clean up.
DISPOSAL: Decontaminate before disposal - steam sterilization, chemical disinfection, incineration.
STORAGE: In sealed containers that are appropriately labeled.
Date prepared: October 11, 1997 Prepared by- Canadian Office of Biosafety Information edited by the Colorado State
University Office of Biosafety; June 16, 1998.
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