Variation in antigenicity and infectivity of derivatives of Borrelia burgdorferi, strain B31, maintained in the natural, zoonotic cycle compared with maintenance in culture

• Published in: Infection and Immunity Vol. 63; no. 12; pp. 4795 - 4801
• Main Authors: Golde, W.T. (National Center for Infectious Diseases, Fort Collins, CO.), Dolan, M.C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for Microbiology 01-12-1995
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial - blood; Antibodies, Monoclonal - immunology; Bacterial Proteins - analysis; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; BORRELIA BURGDORFERI; Borrelia burgdorferi Group - genetics; Borrelia burgdorferi Group - growth & development; Borrelia burgdorferi Group - immunology; Borrelia burgdorferi Group - pathogenicity; Culture Media; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Ixodes - microbiology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred ICR; Microbiology; Morphology, structure, chemical composition; Parasitiformes; Borrelia burgdorferi; Spirochaetaceae; Spirochaetales; Variability; Host agent relation; Proteins; Arachnida; Ixodes; Acari; Antigenicity; Ixodida; Arthropoda; Infectivity; Antigenic variation; Cell cycle; Bacteria; Invertebrata; Ixodidae
• ISSN: 0019-9567; 1098-5522
• DOI: 10.1128/iai.63.12.4795-4801.1995

The original isolate of Borrelia burgdorferi, strain B31, can be maintained in vitro indefinitely. A number of studies have demonstrated that there are recognizable changes in the genetic composition of the spirochete after more than 60 passages. We have maintained B31 in the natural zoonotic cycle of transmission of infection between laboratory mice and laboratory-reared Ixodes ticks. To determine whether similar changes occur in the natural transmission cycle, we reisolated strain B31 from mouse skin at the fifth zoonotic cycle. This reisolated derivative had the same infectivity as the parent B31 strain, had lost the 8-kb supercoiled plasmid present in B31, and induced a gross serum antibody response indistinguishable from the B31 immune response. Analysis of antigen expression with monoclonal antibodies generated against B31, however, showed differential expression of a subset of antigens between B31 and the reisolated derivative