Identifying Etiologic Spirochetes

[Chiron]

I'm having trouble identifying the following etiologic spirochete agents based o the following signs and symptoms:

 

a) patint has only flu-like symtpoms, agent can be isolated and cultured on artificial media

 

b) patient has mutliple lesions on the body and suffers from headaches, fever, and sore throat

[claytonm]

a.) sounds like it could be Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) or a close relative Borrelia hermsii, which causes relapsing fever. Note: B. burgdorferi can be cultured, but it is very difficult

 

b.) Possibly a non-venereal syphilis caused by a species of Treponema, either T. pertenue, T. endemicum or T. caroteum

 

Check out these links: http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/1998/relapsing.htm

 

http://www.austincc.edu/kotrla/SerLec4SerologicalDxOfInfDiseases.pdf#search='spirochete%20diseases'