Relationship between infectivity and OspC expression in Lyme disease Borrelia |
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Authors: | Toshiyuki Masuzawa Toru Kurita Hiroki Kawabata Yasutake Yanagihara |
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Affiliation: | Department of Microbiology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, 52-1 Yada, Shizuoka, Shizuoka 422, Japan |
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Abstract: | Abstract Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto strain 297 and B. garinii strains HP1 and 12–92 were serially subcultured for 36–50 passages in vitro for 1 year. All low-passage strains showed abundant expression of outer surface protein C (OspC) in the 22–23-kDa range, but the high-passage strains lost or showed reduced expression of OspC in comparison with the low-passage strains. The low-passage strains efficiently infected outbred ddY mice when inoculated into the hind footpad or peritoneal cavity. In contrast, the incidence of infection with the high-passage strains was low. Isolates from the bladders of mice inoculated with the high-passage strains expressed large amounts of OspC in comparison with those originally inoculated. These results indicate that OspC expression is related to the infectivity of Lyme disease borreliae. |
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Keywords: | Lyme disease Borrelia burgdorferi OspC |
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