Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1990 Dec;28(12):2693–2699. doi: 10.1128/jcm.28.12.2693-2699.1990

Infectious but nonpathogenic isolate of Borrelia burgdorferi.

J F Anderson 1, S W Barthold 1, L A Magnarelli 1
PMCID: PMC268257  PMID: 2280000

Abstract

We document for the first time an infectious but nonarthritogenic variant of Borrelia burgdorferi. Strain 25015, previously isolated from an Ixodes dammini larva collected in upstate New York, was infectious but failed to produce arthritis or carditis in laboratory rats and mice. By contrast, pathogenic strain N40 invariably caused arthritis. This nonarthritogenic variant, with proteins with molecular weights different from those of the standard B31 strain, was frequently isolated from normal joint tissues of experimentally infected rats. Outer surface proteins A and B of strain 25015 have molecular weights of about 32,500 and 35,500, respectively, in contrast to molecular weights of approximately 31,000 and 34,000, respectively, for outer surface proteins A and B of strains B31 and N40. A prominent low-molecular-weight protein of about 23,500 also characterizes strain 25015. Test animals infected for 30 to 60 days had relatively high antibody titers (greater than or equal to 1:1,280). The nonarthritogenic variant will be useful, along with pathogenic strains, in providing comparative insight into the pathogenesis of Lyme borreliosis. Homologous immunoblotting of sera from rats and mice inoculated with both the arthritogenic and nonarthritogenic strains revealed antibody reactivities to proteins of B. burgdorferi different from those revealed in the heterologous tests.

Full text

PDF
2699

Images in this article

2694Image
on p.2694
2695Image
on p.2695
2695Image
on p.2695
2696Image
on p.2696
2697Image
on p.2697

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson J. F., Magnarelli L. A., LeFebvre R. B., Andreadis T. G., McAninch J. B., Perng G. C., Johnson R. C. Antigenically variable Borrelia burgdorferi isolated from cottontail rabbits and Ixodes dentatus in rural and urban areas. J Clin Microbiol. 1989 Jan;27(1):13–20. doi: 10.1128/jcm.27.1.13-20.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Anderson J. F., Magnarelli L. A., McAninch J. B. New Borrelia burgdorferi antigenic variant isolated from Ixodes dammini from upstate New York. J Clin Microbiol. 1988 Oct;26(10):2209–2212. doi: 10.1128/jcm.26.10.2209-2212.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Asbrink E., Hovmark A., Hederstedt B. The spirochetal etiology of acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans Herxheimer. Acta Derm Venereol. 1984;64(6):506–512. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Barbour A. G., Burgdorfer W., Grunwaldt E., Steere A. C. Antibodies of patients with Lyme disease to components of the Ixodes dammini spirochete. J Clin Invest. 1983 Aug;72(2):504–515. doi: 10.1172/JCI110998. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Barbour A. G., Hayes S. F., Heiland R. A., Schrumpf M. E., Tessier S. L. A Borrelia-specific monoclonal antibody binds to a flagellar epitope. Infect Immun. 1986 May;52(2):549–554. doi: 10.1128/iai.52.2.549-554.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Barbour A. G., Heiland R. A., Howe T. R. Heterogeneity of major proteins in Lyme disease borreliae: a molecular analysis of North American and European isolates. J Infect Dis. 1985 Sep;152(3):478–484. doi: 10.1093/infdis/152.3.478. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Barbour A. G. Isolation and cultivation of Lyme disease spirochetes. Yale J Biol Med. 1984 Jul-Aug;57(4):521–525. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Barthold S. W., Beck D. S., Hansen G. M., Terwilliger G. A., Moody K. D. Lyme borreliosis in selected strains and ages of laboratory mice. J Infect Dis. 1990 Jul;162(1):133–138. doi: 10.1093/infdis/162.1.133. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Barthold S. W., Moody K. D., Beck D. S. Susceptibility of laboratory rats to isolates of Borrelia burgdorferi from different geographic areas. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1990 Jun;42(6):596–600. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1990.42.596. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Barthold S. W., Moody K. D., Terwilliger G. A., Duray P. H., Jacoby R. O., Steere A. C. Experimental Lyme arthritis in rats infected with Borrelia burgdorferi. J Infect Dis. 1988 Apr;157(4):842–846. doi: 10.1093/infdis/157.4.842. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Bissett M. L., Hill W. Characterization of Borrelia burgdorferi strains isolated from Ixodes pacificus ticks in California. J Clin Microbiol. 1987 Dec;25(12):2296–2301. doi: 10.1128/jcm.25.12.2296-2301.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Bosler E. M., Cohen D. P., Schulze T. L., Olsen C., Bernard W., Lissman B. Host responses to Borrelia burgdorferi in dogs and horses. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1988;539:221–234. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1988.tb31856.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Burgdorfer W., Barbour A. G., Hayes S. F., Benach J. L., Grunwaldt E., Davis J. P. Lyme disease-a tick-borne spirochetosis? Science. 1982 Jun 18;216(4552):1317–1319. doi: 10.1126/science.7043737. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Greene R. T., Walker R. L., Burgess E. C., Levine J. F. Heterogeneity in immunoblot patterns obtained by using four strains of Borrelia burgdorferi and sera from naturally exposed dogs. J Clin Microbiol. 1988 Nov;26(11):2287–2291. doi: 10.1128/jcm.26.11.2287-2291.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Johnson R. C., Marek N., Kodner C. Infection of Syrian hamsters with Lyme disease spirochetes. J Clin Microbiol. 1984 Dec;20(6):1099–1101. doi: 10.1128/jcm.20.6.1099-1101.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lane R. S., Pascocello J. A. Antigenic characteristics of Borrelia burgdorferi isolates from ixodid ticks in California. J Clin Microbiol. 1989 Oct;27(10):2344–2349. doi: 10.1128/jcm.27.10.2344-2349.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Lavoie P. E., Wilson A. J., Tuffanelli D. L. Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans with antecedent Lyme disease in a California. Case report. Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg A. 1986 Dec;263(1-2):262–265. doi: 10.1016/s0176-6724(86)80129-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. LeFebvre R. B., Perng G. C. Genetic and antigenic characterization of Borrelia coriaceae, putative agent of epizootic bovine abortion. J Clin Microbiol. 1989 Mar;27(3):389–393. doi: 10.1128/jcm.27.3.389-393.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Magnarelli L. A. Laboratory diagnosis of Lyme disease. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 1989 Nov;15(4):735–745. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Magnarelli L. A., Meegan J. M., Anderson J. F., Chappell W. A. Comparison of an indirect fluorescent-antibody test with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for serological studies of Lyme disease. J Clin Microbiol. 1984 Aug;20(2):181–184. doi: 10.1128/jcm.20.2.181-184.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Moody K. D., Barthold S. W., Terwilliger G. A., Beck D. S., Hansen G. M., Jacoby R. O. Experimental chronic Lyme borreliosis in Lewis rats. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1990 Feb;42(2):165–174. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1990.42.165. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Persing D. H., Telford S. R., 3rd, Spielman A., Barthold S. W. Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi infection in Ixodes dammini ticks with the polymerase chain reaction. J Clin Microbiol. 1990 Mar;28(3):566–572. doi: 10.1128/jcm.28.3.566-572.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Philip R. N., Casper E. A., Burgdorfer W., Gerloff R. K., Hughes L. E., Bell E. J. Serologic typing of rickettsiae of the spotted fever group by microimmunofluorescence. J Immunol. 1978 Nov;121(5):1961–1968. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Schwan T. G., Burgdorfer W., Schrumpf M. E., Karstens R. H. The urinary bladder, a consistent source of Borrelia burgdorferi in experimentally infected white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). J Clin Microbiol. 1988 May;26(5):893–895. doi: 10.1128/jcm.26.5.893-895.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Schwan T. G., Kime K. K., Schrumpf M. E., Coe J. E., Simpson W. J. Antibody response in white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) experimentally infected with the Lyme disease spirochete (Borrelia burgdorferi). Infect Immun. 1989 Nov;57(11):3445–3451. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.11.3445-3451.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Sinsky R. J., Piesman J. Ear punch biopsy method for detection and isolation of Borrelia burgdorferi from rodents. J Clin Microbiol. 1989 Aug;27(8):1723–1727. doi: 10.1128/jcm.27.8.1723-1727.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Steere A. C., Grodzicki R. L., Kornblatt A. N., Craft J. E., Barbour A. G., Burgdorfer W., Schmid G. P., Johnson E., Malawista S. E. The spirochetal etiology of Lyme disease. N Engl J Med. 1983 Mar 31;308(13):733–740. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198303313081301. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Steere A. C., Malawista S. E., Snydman D. R., Shope R. E., Andiman W. A., Ross M. R., Steele F. M. Lyme arthritis: an epidemic of oligoarticular arthritis in children and adults in three connecticut communities. Arthritis Rheum. 1977 Jan-Feb;20(1):7–17. doi: 10.1002/art.1780200102. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Steere A. C., Taylor E., Wilson M. L., Levine J. F., Spielman A. Longitudinal assessment of the clinical and epidemiological features of Lyme disease in a defined population. J Infect Dis. 1986 Aug;154(2):295–300. doi: 10.1093/infdis/154.2.295. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Towbin H., Staehelin T., Gordon J. Electrophoretic transfer of proteins from polyacrylamide gels to nitrocellulose sheets: procedure and some applications. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Sep;76(9):4350–4354. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.9.4350. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Weber K. Remarks on the infectious disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg A. 1986 Dec;263(1-2):206–208. doi: 10.1016/s0176-6724(86)80124-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Wilske B., Preac-Mursic V., Schierz G., Kühbeck R., Barbour A. G., Kramer M. Antigenic variability of Borrelia burgdorferi. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1988;539:126–143. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1988.tb31846.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES