Dr. Alan MacDonald first discovered that the microorganisms that cause Lyme disease can exist in colonies of bacterial biofilms. This theory is now widely accepted and explains why the bacteria are difficult to diagnose and can persist after treatment.

This video demonstrates the normative biological state of Borrelia Burgdorferi, a biofilm community. David Luecke at UNH points out the different lifeforms of this wily gram-negative bacteria that cause chronic Lyme disease. The green fragments on the screen are DNA from Borrelia burgdorferi strain B31, fluorescently tagged to glow under a dark field microscope.