title: Stability of erp loci during Borrelia burgdorferi infection: recombination is not required for chronic infection of immunocompetent mice.
abstract: Borrelia burgdorferi can persistently infect mammals despite their production of antibodies directed against bacterial proteins, including the Erp lipoproteins. We sequenced erp loci of bacteria reisolated from laboratory mice after 1 year of infection and found them to be identical to those of the inoculant bacteria. We conclude that recombination of erp genes is not essential for chronic mammalian infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536-0084, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: El Hage
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Lieto
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stevenson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000235:genetics*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D007121:Immunocompetence; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D051379:Mice; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008074:Lipoproteins; C084998:OspE protein, Borrelia burgdorferi; C084999:OspF protein, Borrelia burgdorferi