Heterogeneity of Major Proteins in Lyme Disease Borreliae: A Molecular Analysis of North American and European Isolates

Abstract

We examined 46 isolates of Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease and related disorders, with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and monoclonal antibodies. Our attention was on the OspA proteins, which are major proteins of the spirochete. There were at least four discernible phenotypes of the OspA protein. While 25 North American isolates were, with one exception, homogeneous in the type of OspA protein that they produced, 21 European isolates were heterogeneous in the types of OspA proteins represented. Only three European strains resembled North American strains in their OspA phenotype. Application of a deoxyribonucleic acid probe for an ospA gene demonstrated that the arrangement of ospA-associated sequences in the DNA differed between isolates.

Strain Variation of Lyme Disease Spirochetes Isolated from Ixodes ricinus Ticks and Rodents Collected in Two Endemic Areas in Switzerland

“…In short, the suspension of washed borreliae (1 mg/ml) were dissolved (1:1) in the sample buffer with 0.6% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) (final concentration) and 50 mM dithiothreitol as a reducing agent. The samples were boiled for 5 min before undergoing electrophoresis (constant current 45 mA) on polyacrylamide gel at 12.5% for the separating gel and a 4% stacking gel, according to the method described by Barbour et al (1985). The standard molecular weights (MW) of BioRad (low range protein molecular weight standards) were used as reference for the calculation of relative molecular weights.…”

“…Lyme spirochetes have shown a great diversity concerning their pheno-and genotypic characters (Barbour et al 1985, Wilske et al 1988, Kramer et al 1990). Using various methods, three genospecies have now been described in Europe: B. hurgdorferi sensu stricto, B. garinii Baranton, Postic, Saint Girons, Boerlin, Piffaretti, Assous and Grimont, and B. afzelii Canica, Nato, du Merle, Mazie, Baranton and Postic , Canica et al 1993.…”

Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in an Endemic Environment: Wild Sika Deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) with Infected Ticks and Antibodies

“…Lyme disease is a multisystemic infectious disorder caused by the spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi and associated species (4)(5)(6)8). Wild animals are important as reservoirs or susceptible hosts for B. burgdorferi (1,7,27).…”

An adsorption procedure to increase the specificity of enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays for lyme disease without decreasing sensitivity

“…Infection with B burgdorferi induces the production of antibodies to multiple spirochetal antigens (7). There is also evidence that individual responses to these antigens may differ qualitatively.…”