Table 1.
ospC types of Borrelia burgdorferi found in tissues of human patients.
Figure 1.
Strain biodiversity of B. burgdorferi in tick populations and human tissues using A) Shannon's and B) Simpson's index.
Biodiversity is significantly lower in human tissues than in all but one nymphal tick population. The greatest strain biodiversity was found in skin and the least diversity in CSF. However, synovial fluid strains of B. burgdorferi were only slightly less diverse than blood strains. These conclusions are supported equally by Shannon's and Simpson's biodiversity index.