FIG. 6.

Analysis of CspZ as a potential vaccinogen. To assess the ability of CspZ to function as a vaccinogen, r-CspZ derived from B. burgdorferi B31 or B. garinii FRG was injected into mice as described in Materials and Methods. The antibody response to r-CspZ (filled circles) or to a negative control protein, r-Rrp1 (open circles), was assessed by ELISA (A). The mice were infected and sacrificed 4 weeks postinfection, and the bladders, ears, hearts, joints, kidneys, and spleens were harvested. DNA was harvested from the organs and analyzed by qPCR, and panels B and C show the results expressed as the ratio of the number of copies of the spirochete flaB gene to the number of copies of the mouse nidogen gene. In panels B and C, the triangles and circles show the results for individual vaccinated and control mice, respectively, and the bars indicate the averages.