Table 3.
OspC-deficient B. burgdorferi with increased expression of OspA, OspE or VlsE but not DbpA causes disseminated infection in SCID mice. a
| Clone | No. of specimens positive/Total specimens examined at post-inoculation weeks |
|||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|||||||||||||||||
| I.S. | R.S. | Ear | Heart | Joint | I.S. | R.S. | Ear | Heart | Joint | I.S. | R.S. | Ear | Heart | Joint | I.S. | R.S. | Ear | Heart | Joint | |
| ΔospC/ospC′/1 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | NDb | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| ΔospC/ospC′/2 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| ΔospC/ospA′/1 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 1/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 1/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| ΔospC/ospA′/2 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 1/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| ΔospC/ospE′/1 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| ΔospC/ospE′/2 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 1/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| ΔospC/vlsE′/1 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| ΔospC/vlsE′/2 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| ΔospC/dbpA′/1 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 |
| ΔospC/dbpA′/2 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 3/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 |
a
Groups of six --12 BALB/c SCID mice each received a single intradermal/subcutaneous injection of 105 organisms of the clone ΔospC/ospC′/1, ΔospC/ospC′/2, ΔospC/ospA′/1, ΔospC/ospA′/2, ΔospC/ospE′/1, ΔospC/ospE′/2, ΔospC/vlsE′/1, ΔospC/vlsE′/2, ΔospC/dbpA′/1, or ΔospC/dbpA′/2. Three animals from each group were euthanized at 1, 2, 3, and 4 wk post-inoculation; inoculation site (I.S.) and remote site (R.S.) skin, ear, heart, and joint specimens were harvested for spirochete isolation. The I.S. site was at the chest; therefore the R.S. site was at the back of mice.
b
ND, not determined.