TABLE 2.
Constitutive ospC expression diminishes the ability of B. burgdorferi to establish chronic infections in immunocompetent micea
| Transformant | No. of positive cultures/total no. of specimens examined
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heart | Joint | Skin | All sites | |
| 5A13/pBBE22 | 8/8 | 8/8 | 8/8 | 24/24 |
| 5A13/pBBE22-ospC′ | 2/8 | 2/8 | 2/8 | 6/24 |
a
Groups of eight BALB/c mice were inoculated with transformant 5A13/pBBE22 or 5A13/pBBE22-ospC′ and sacrificed at 5 months postinoculation. Heart, tibiotarsal joint, and skin specimens were harvested and cultured for spirochetes in BSK-H complete medium.