BIOG 1106 - Unit 4 Slides / slide 10

Slide 10.

Scanning Electron Micrograph of Treponema pallidum on cultures of cotton-tail rabbit epithelium cells. The cause of syphilis, this microscopic bacterial organism is called a spirochete, a worm-like spiral-shaped organism that wiggles vigorously when viewed under a microscope. Treponema pallidum was discovered in 1905 by the German bacteriologist Fritz Schaudinn (1871-1906) who named it, putting together the Greek trepo (I turn) and nema (thread) with the Latin pallida (pale) to make a pale turning thread. In the United States, over 35,600 cases of syphilis were reported by health officials in 1999. Credit: Science Source / Photo Researchers, Inc.

Borrelia burgdorferi, the cause of lyme disease, the most common tick-borne disease in the U.S. Transmission of this this spirochete bacteria occurs through the bite of infected deer ticks. Ticks often occur in areas of brush and tall grass. The disease is recognized by a distinctive skin lesion, erythema migrans, accompanied by headache, stiff neck, myalgias, arthralgias, fatigue and swelling of the lymph nodes. While treatable with antibiotics, untreated patients may develop meningoencephalitis, myocarditis, or even arthritis, New York state has 40% of the reported cases of Lyme disease in the U.S. Credit: M.M.M. Chu Tours-Joubert / Photo Researchers, Inc.