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Lyme borreliosis is a multisystem chronic disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) spirochete transmitted by Ixodes. This bacterium has a remarkable ability to survive in tick-vertebrate setup. Its infection causes diagnostic and clinical difficulties. It was distinguished as a separate disease entity over 30 years ago. Observations made by Steere et al. proved to be a milestone since they found correlation between the occurrence of skin and joint lesions with tick bites. Further studies showed that the disease affects not only joints and skin, but also nervous and circulatory systems. Shortly afterwards, an etiological factor was identified – spirochete isolated by W. Burgdorfer (from ticks) as well as Steer and Benach (from blood). Research conducted by other authors confirmed that the spirochete named after its discoverer (Borrelia burgdorferi) is a common etiological factor for disease entities classified as Lyme borreliosis. The high incidence of Lyme borreliosis among the residents of endemic areas, along with diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties, make it a serious academic, clinical and social problem. The present article elaborates on bacterium structure and selected mechanisms facilitating the colonisation of particular hosts. Knowledge of those processes might be useful in understanding complex pathogenesis of lesions occurring in Lyme disease.