title: Strain-specific antibodies reduce co-feeding transmission of the Lyme disease pathogen, Borrelia afzelii.
abstract: Vector-borne pathogens use a diversity of strategies to evade the vertebrate immune system. Co-feeding transmission is a potential immune evasion strategy because the vector-borne pathogen minimizes the time spent in the vertebrate host. We tested whether the Lyme disease pathogen, Borrelia afzelii, can use co-feeding transmission to escape the acquired immune response in the vertebrate host. We induced a strain-specific, protective antibody response by immunizing mice with one of two variants of OspC (A3 and A10), the highly variable outer surface protein C of Borrelia pathogens. Immunized mice were challenged via tick bite with B. afzelii strains A3 or A10 and infested with larval ticks at days 2 and 34 post-infection to measure co-feeding and systemic transmission respectively. Antibodies against a particular OspC variant significantly reduced co-feeding transmission of the targeted (homologous) strain but not the non-targeted (heterologous) strain. Cross-immunity between OspC antigens had no effect in co-feeding ticks but reduced the spirochaete load twofold in ticks infected via systemic transmission. In summary, OspC-specific antibodies reduced co-feeding transmission of a homologous but not a heterologous strain of B. afzelii. Co-feeding transmission allowed B. afzelii to evade the negative consequences of cross-immunity on the tick spirochaete load.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile Argand, 11 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Maxime
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jacquet
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile Argand, 11 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Durand
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile Argand, 11 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rais
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile Argand, 11 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Maarten J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Voordouw
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000276:immunology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; C079616:OspC protein