<P> Lyme disease, or borreliosis, is caused by spirochetal bacteria from the genus Borrelia, which has 52 known species . Three main species (Borrelia garinii, Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia burgdorferi s.s.) are the main causative agents of the disease in humans, while a number of others have been implicated as possibly pathogenic . Borrelia species in the species complex known to cause Lyme disease are collectively called Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) not to be confused with the single species in that complex Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto which is responsible for all cases of Lyme disease in North America . </P> <P> Borrelia are microaerophilic and slow - growing--the primary reason for the long delays when diagnosing Lyme disease--and have been found to have greater strain diversity than previously estimated . The strains differ in clinical symptoms and / or presentation as well as geographic distribution . </P>

What are the different strains of lyme disease