Bacteriophage in the Ixodes dammini spirochete, etiological agent of Lyme disease.

A bacteriophage with a B-3 morphology was detected by electron microscopy in a spirochete isolated from the tick Ixodes dammini. It has a 40- to 50-nm elongated head and a tail 50 to 70 nm in length. It appears devoid of collars or kite-tail structure. The spirochete has been identified as the causative agent of Lyme disease.