Lyme arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis share common clinical features and synovial histology. It is unclear whether they also share similar pathogenesis. Previous studies have shown that the severity and duration of Lyme arthritis correlate directly with serum concentrations of antibody against outer surface protein A (OspA) of the causative pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi. We tested the sera of...

During cycling between the tick vector and a mammal, the Lyme disease spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi must coordinate expression of outer-surface proteins (Osps) A and B to quickly respond to environmental changes. The pathogen abundantly produces OspA/B in the tick, but represses their expression during mammalian infection. This paper reports a regulatory structure, consisting of two sequence...

The paradigm for differential antigen expression in Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, is the reciprocal expression of its outer surface (lipo)proteins (Osp) A and C; as B. burgdorferi transitions from its arthropod vector into mammalian tissue, ospC is upregulated, and ospA is downregulated. In the current study, using B. burgdorferi cultivated under varying conditions in BSK-H m...

This study presents the effects of OspA vaccination on two-step testing for Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies. Although vaccinees developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reactivity, immunoblots did not fulfill Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for positivity. Furthermore, OspA reactivity did not interfere with interpretation of immunoblots with sera from patients who develop...

There is currently no Lyme borreliosis vaccine available for humans, although it has been shown that the disease can be prevented by immunization with an OspA-based vaccine (LYMErix). Outer surface protein A (OspA) is one of the dominant antigens expressed by the spirochetes when present in a tick. The Borrelia species causing Lyme borreliosis in Europe express different OspA serotypes on their...

lyme borreliosis is a tick-born disease caused by the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi. the aim of this research was molecular typing of different strains of b. burgdorferi and protective efficacy of outer surface protein in animal model. seven strains of b. burgdorferi isolated from skin and csf of lyme disease patients were compared using pcr- rflp as well as dna and amino acid sequences. the ...

We used polyclonal antisera and monodonal antibodies (mAbs) to inhibit the growth of clonal populations of two strains of Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease agent, and thereby select for antibody-resistant mutants, mAbs were directed at the outer membrane proteins, OspA or OspB. Mutants resistant to the growth-inhibiting properties of the antibodies were present in the populations at freque...

Lyme disease (also called borreliosis) is a prevalent chronic disease transmitted by ticks and caused by Borrelia burgdorferi s. l. spirochete. At least one tick protein, namely TROSPA from I. scapularis, commonly occurring in the USA, was shown to be required for colonization of the vector by bacteria. Located in the tick gut, TROSPA interacts with the spirochete outer surface protein A (OspA)...

We used polyclonal antisera and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to inhibit the growth of clonal populations of two strains of Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease agent, and thereby select for antibody-resistant mutants. mAbs were directed at the outer membrane proteins, OspA or OspB. Mutants resistant to the growth-inhibiting properties of the antibodies were present in the populations at frequ...

Lyme borreliosis is the most widespread vector-borne disease in temperate zones of Europe and North America. Although the infection is treatable, the symptoms are often overlooked resulting in infection of the neuronal system. In this work we uncover the underlying molecular mechanism of borrelial translocation across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). We demonstrate that neuroinvasive strain of Bo...