Table of Contents
How do you identify Borrelia burgdorferi?
Direct tests include culture of Borrelia from skin or blood and occasionally cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and detection of genetic material by PCR in skin, blood, synovial fluid and CSF. These tests have specialized roles in research and in academic and reference laboratories but are not available for routine use.
What is Spirochaetes in microbiology?
spirochete, (order Spirochaetales), also spelled spirochaete, any of a group of spiral-shaped bacteria, some of which are serious pathogens for humans, causing diseases such as syphilis, yaws, Lyme disease, and relapsing fever.
What kind of stain is used for spirochetes?
The most commonly used staining methods for demonstrating spirochetes and some Gram negative bacteria which stain poorly with tissue Gram stains, are the Deterle, WarthinStarry and Steiner methods.
How are spirochetes treated by Fontana’s staining technique?
The spirochete is very delicate organism they easily get destroyed by heat fixation so here heat fixation step is avoided. Here smear is treated by Fontana’s fixative.T his fixative contain chemicals like formalin and glacial acetic acid. After fixation, the smear is treated to Fontana’s mordant.
How is the size of a spirochete measured?
Spirochete are spiral shaped Gram negative bacteria. They are unique in morphology and locomotion. The spirochete is spiral in shape so its size is measured by measuring its length and width. Generally, it is 5 to 500 µm in length and 0.1 to 3 µm in width.
What kind of environment does a spirochete live in?
In spirochetes, metabolism is largely dependent on their distribution and habitat. The majority of free-living spirochetes are found in the genus Spirochaeta. They can be found in various habitats including freshwater and seawater mud environments that contain hydrogen sulfide.