borrelia-burgdorferi-bacteria-13172.jpg

Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria

Photo by Claudia Molins, 2011 / Image ID#: 13172, Public Health Image Library, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Under a high magnification, this digitally colorized scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image depicts a grouping of Gram-negative, anaerobic, Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which had been derived from a pure culture. This pathogenic organism is responsible for causing the illness, Lyme disease, a zoonotic, vector-borne, ailment, transmitted to humans by way of a tick bite.