Pathogenic New World Relapsing Fever Borrelia in a Myotis Bat, Eastern China, 2015

Abstract

We identified Candidatus Borrelia fainii, a human pathogenic bacterium causing New World relapsing fever in a Myotis bat in eastern China. This finding expands knowledge about the geographic distribution of Borrelia spp. and the potential for infection with New World relapsing fever in China.

Keywords

• Bacteria
• bats
• Borrelia
• Candidatus Borrelia fainii
• China
• housekeeping genes