FIG. 3.

Macrophage uptake and degradation of B. burgdorferi are not dependent on caspase 1. Adherent bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) (A) and peritoneal macrophages (PMφ) (B) were exposed to spirochetes at a ratio of 10:1 for 10 min, and then extracellular spirochetes were eliminated by water washes. Cells were allowed to process ingested spirochetes for 0, 30, 60, 120, and 180 min as described in Materials and Methods. Cells were labeled for spirochetes and the lysosomal marker LAMP-1. The numbers of elongated spirochetes, representing ingested but not yet degraded organisms, were counted at each time point, and the percentages were plotted as a function of time. The results are representative of two separate experiments.