Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi which is a multisystem disease . The bacterium has a number of hybrid strains that are known to cause Lyme disease thus, the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato bacterium is refer to the different strains that cause Lyme disease (Meletis, 2009) .
The different strains have slightly different symptoms on the host. Borrelia burgdorferi is a helical shaped spirochete bacterium. It has a flexible cell wall and inner and outer membrane. In the bacteria’s cell, there is long and cylindrical protoplasm and the bacteria are usually about 10-25 ?m long (Meletis, 2009).INTERFERENCE WITH NORMAL PATHOPHYSIOLOGYThe bacterium is usually introduced to the host through the site of a bite by an infected tick.
Once in the skin, the bacterium can produce erythema migrans or pathognomonic skin lesion or be disseminated through the blood or lymphatics. If untreated the bacteria can remain present in the body for months or even years. The disease is usually characterized by renal failure, hepatic dysfunction, shock and coagulopathy.
The mid-zone of the liver lobule is usually the most affected. The viral antigen localized in the mid-zone and it is evident that in fatal cases there are usually very high virus loads and it is usually the site of direct viral injuryPOPULATION
