Lyme disease in Australia

Human Lyme infection as the Borrelia types Burgdorferi and Garinii have been demonstrated by PCR, and Afzelii by clinical inference of those with Lyme disease rashes (see disease presentation under the doctors pages).

on 17th January 2011 we have one tissue PCR report taken from erythema migrans showing a Borrelia Valaisiana like organism by NATA accredited sequencing.

Borrelia Queenslandica was identified here in 1962 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13876596. It is a known recognised infection in cattle here by our veterinary profession as is also Borrelia theileri viz: http://books.google.com.au/books?id=8fXzJrDfFgUC&pg=PA478&lpg=PA478&dq=Borrelia+theileri+australia&source=bl&ots=oRXCICm8bJ&sig=8MmgHfc8_uTnv3FvMDkrEfHxvgI&hl=en&ei=wm1rTd6hFYWwcff9xY4M&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Borrelia%20theileri%20australia&f=false

I hear:  "We don't have these bugs in our native animals" from many sources, but try this:

Spirochaetes belonging to the genus Borrelia occur in the blood of cattle, rodents, kangaroos, and bandicoots. 

This is a quote from CSIRO research in 1959 http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/ZO9590105.htm