Mount Allison University 2 articles published in JoVE Immunology and Infection Cultivation Methods of Spirochetes from Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Complex and Relapsing Fever Borrelia Anne Berthold*1, Marie-Line Faucillion*2, Ingela Nilsson2, Maryna Golovchenko3, Vett Lloyd1, Sven Bergström2, Natalie Rudenko3 1Department of Biology, Mt. Allison University, 2Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, 3Biology Centre Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Parasitology In vitro culture is a direct detection method for the presence of living bacteria. This protocol describes methods for the culture of diverse Borrelia spirochetes, including those of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, relapsing fever Borrelia species, and Borrelia miyamotoi. These species are fastidious and slow growing but can be cultured. Biology Detecting the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia Burgdorferi, in Ticks Using Nested PCR Melanie K. B. Wills1, Andrea M. Kirby1, Vett K. Lloyd1 1Department of Biology, Mount Allison University Nested PCR is a sensitive, specific, and straightforward technique that can be applied to tick DNA extracts to probe for Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. The initial PCR experiment uses gene-specific primers to generate long amplicons, which then become templates for a subsequent reaction using internal primers.
