Causative organism of European relapsing fever, the spirochaete is 10-20Mm long with fairly regular coils, and is demonstrable in Romanovsky stained films, wet blood films, and by Gram’s method. The spirochaete is cultivated—though not easily—in a variety of media containing animal protein such as serum or blood. It is transmitted to man by body lice.
The causative agent of louse-borne relapsing fever.