Vaccination against Lyme borreliosis

Abstract

Lyme borreliosis is a worldwide family of tick-borne infections caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. It is the most common tick-borne human infection in the Western world. There are several subgroups of the spirochete. Two monovalent vaccines against this infection have been presented in the USA, both of which use the borrelial outer surface protein A (OspA) as antigen. The first of these vaccines has been released for general use. A European polyvalent vaccine using the antigen OspC is undergoing clinical trial in the Aland Islands in Finland. Lately, another antigen group, decorin-binding proteins (Dbp), has been considered for immunization purposes. A European vaccine must be effective against several subgroups of the borrelia spirochete, and this complicates the situation compared with that in the USA, where one spirochete subspecies dominates the scene.

Lyme borreliosis

“…In Eurasia, compared to the USA, a vaccine must be effective against all subgroups of the Borrelia spirochete. Some protective immunity against Borrelia infection in laboratory animals was demonstrated by other Borrelia burgdorferi proteins, for instance OspB and OspC 13,14 …”

Characterization of an anti‐Borrelia burgdorferi OspA conformational epitope by limited proteolysis of monoclonal antibody‐bound antigen and mass spectrometricpeptide mapping

“…However, recombinant unlipidated OspA was recognized by sera from patients with Lyme diseasẽ Dunn et al, 1990!, and further different studies suggested that recombinant OspA could be used to vaccinate humans against infection with B. burgdorferi spirochete~Fikrig et al, 1990;Simon et al, 1991!. Recently, effective andsafe OspA vaccines, with or without adjuvant, were released~Sigal, 1999;Wahlberg, 1999!. Hence, detailed knowledge of the immunological and molecular characteristics of OspA protein is important for the development of reliable diagnostic assays.…”