Dissociation of infectivity and pathogenicity in Borrelia burgdorferi.
Clonal Borrelia burgdorferi N40 (cN40) passaged 75 times in vitro (N40-75) infects mice but does not cause disease. N40-75 passaged 45 times further in vitro (N40-120) was no longer infectious and lacked genes encoded on linear plasmids 38 and 28-1, among other differences. These data suggest that B. burgdorferi cN40, N40-75, and N40-120 have distinct phenotypes that can be used to dissect the genetic elements responsible for pathogenicity and infectivity.
Thomas
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V
Section of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.
Anguita
J
J
Samanta
S
S
Rosa
P A
PA
Stewart
P
P
Barthold
S W
SW
Fikrig
E
E
D000818:Animals; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000209:etiology; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D010957:Plasmids