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NON PD, but because it has been mentioned lately, I thought some of you might be interested... Lyme disease findings baffle researchers Scientists say they have deciphered almost the entire genetic blueprint, or genome, of the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, but instead of finding familiar components that help germs invade their hosts, they found "a bewildering array" of genes never before seen. The Lyme organism is known as Borrelia burgdorferi, and its blueprint is the first to be deciphered of a parasite that infects both vertebrates and invertebrates, according to a report in the current issue of Nature. The scientists who accomplished the task, from the Institute for Genomic Research in Rockville, Md., MedImmune Inc. in Gaithersburg, Md., and the University of Utah, said the organism's single chromosome contains 853 genes. They also found 430 additional genes on 11 DNA structures called plasmids and said that most of the 430 genes "have no known biological function." Lyme disease, which causes arthritis-like symptoms that can persist for years, is transmitted by ticks. Judith Richards [log in to unmask]