Reproduction

The species, B. burgdorferi, has never been found naturally outside of a host. This indicates that it requires a host body in order to reproduce itself.

Fig.20. Stages in
Binary Fission

Upon entering the host, B. burgdorferi reproduces asexually mainly through binary fission.

However, it also uses other methods of reproduction, one of which involves the formation of a cyst. 

A cyst is a sac containing air and some fluids enclosed by its own membrane that forms when a single B. burgdorferi cell curls into a cocoon around itself. A cyst, from which young B. burgdorferi forms is created and released.

Fig.21. The Formation of
a B. burgdorferi's Cyst

Another mechanism of reproduction that this bacterium utilizes is the formation of buds, which then can eventually turn into cysts. 

The bursting of the B. burgdorferi cell that contain these underdeveloped forms is how they are released.

B. burgdorferi has a unique ability to reproduce wherever and whenever as needed, no matter the surroundings, while also simultaneously protecting itself from its hosts’ immune system.

Its ability to reproduce is one of the many contributions to its success in invading host organisms.