Comparative genomics analysis of three conserved plasmid families in the Western Hemisphere soft tick-borne relapsing fever borreliae provides insight into variation in genome structure and antigenic variation systems.

spp. found in the Western Hemisphere. This current study is a more in-depth investigation into the linear plasmids that were conserved and syntenic across species. This analysis determined differences in genome structure and, importantly, in antigenic variation systems between species. This work is an important step in identifying crucial plasmid-borne genetic elements essential for the life cycle of RF spirochetes.