We identified Candidatus Borrelia fainii, a human pathogenic bacterium causing New World relapsing fever in a Myotis bat in eastern China. This finding expands knowledge about the geographic distribution of Borrelia spp. and the potential for infection with New World relapsing fever in China.
Keywords: Bacteria; Borrelia; Candidatus Borrelia fainii; China; Myotis bats; New World relapsing fever; bats; housekeeping genes; relapsing fever; spirochetes.