In which part of a tick does the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi reside before it travels to the salivary glands?
Answer
The midgut
The Lyme disease bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, live within the midgut of the tick. To infect a host, the bacteria must initiate a migration from this midgut to the tick's salivary glands. This process is triggered after the tick begins to ingest a blood meal and becomes engorged, a multi-hour process that prevents immediate transmission upon the initial bite.
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