虽然科学家们最近发现了所有博氏疏螺旋体的基因序列,但他们仍然难以解释这种螺旋形状的细菌如何引起各种不同的莱姆病症状。以皮疹为起点,莱姆病能继续引起疲劳,面瘫和肢体瘫痪、头痛、甚至行为改变。波士顿大学医学院的Sam T. Donta及其同事目前报道,这种微生物可以产生一种神经细胞毒素,该毒素与引致肉毒中毒和霍乱的细菌所产生的毒素相似。 Although scientists have recently discovered all the gene sequences of Borrelia burgdorferi, they still have difficulty explaining how the spiral-shaped bacteria cause a variety of different Lyme disease symptoms. Starting from a rash, Lyme disease can continue to cause fatigue, facial paralysis and limb paralysis, headaches, and even behavioral changes. Sam T. Donta and colleagues at the Boston University School of Medicine now report that the microorganism produces a neuronal toxin that is similar to the toxin produced by bacteria that cause botulism and cholera.