The genus Borrelia consists of evolutionarily and genetically diverse bacterial species that cause a variety of diseases in humans and domestic animals. These vector-borne spirochetes can be classified into two major evolutionary groups, the Lyme borreliosis clade and the relapsing fever clade, both of which have complex transmission cycles during which they interact with multiple host species and arthropod vectors. Molecular, ecological, and evolutionary studies have each provided significant contributions towards our understanding of the natural history, biology and evolutionary genetics of Borrelia species; however, integration of these studies is required to identify the evolutionary causes and consequences of the genetic variation within and among Borrelia species. For example, molecular and genetic studies have identified the adaptations that maximize fitness components throughout the Borrelia lifecycle and enhance transmission efficacy but provide limited insights into the evolutionary pressures that have produced them. Ecological studies can identify interactions between Borrelia species and the vertebrate hosts and arthropod vectors they encounter and the resulting impact on the geographic distribution and abundance of spirochetes but not the genetic or molecular basis underlying these interactions. In this review we discuss recent findings on the evolutionary genetics from both of the evolutionarily distinct clades of Borrelia species. We focus on connecting molecular interactions to the ecological processes that have driven the evolution and diversification of Borrelia species in order to understand the current distribution of genetic and molecular variation within and between Borrelia species.

中文翻译：

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伯氏疏螺旋体的进化遗传学。


伯氏疏螺旋体属由进化和遗传上不同的细菌种类组成，可引起人类和家畜的多种疾病。这些媒介传播的螺旋体可分为两个主要的进化群体，即莱姆疏螺旋体病分支和回归热分支，这两个分支都具有复杂的传播周期，在此期间它们与多种宿主物种和节肢动物媒介相互作用。分子、生态和进化研究都为我们了解疏螺旋体属物种的自然历史、生物学和进化遗传学做出了重大贡献。然而，需要整合这些研究来确定疏螺旋体属物种内部和之间遗传变异的进化原因和后果。例如，分子和遗传学研究已经确定了在整个伯氏疏螺旋体生命周期中最大化适应成分并增强传播效率的适应性，但对产生它们的进化压力提供的见解有限。生态研究可以确定伯氏疏螺旋体物种与它们遇到的脊椎动物宿主和节肢动物载体之间的相互作用以及由此产生的对螺旋体地理分布和丰度的影响，但不能确定这些相互作用背后的遗传或分子基础。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了疏螺旋体属两个进化上不同的分支的进化遗传学的最新发现。 我们专注于将分子相互作用与驱动疏螺旋体物种进化和多样化的生态过程联系起来，以了解疏螺旋体物种内部和之间遗传和分子变异的当前分布。