Table 2. Effect of DNA repair and replication mutants on B. burgdorferi inefction and switching at vlsE in C3H/HeN mice.
| B. burgdorferi genotype | Strain (GCB) | Total micea | Day 7 Bloodb | Day 7 Infection | Day 21 Ear | Day 21 Infection | Switching at vlsE day 21c | |||||||
| 5A4 wt | 933 | 18 | 18/18 | 100.0% | 18/18 | + | ||||||||
| mutS2/1 (BB0098) mutS2/2 | 1135 1136 | 4 | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | + | |||||||
| recA2 (BB0131) recA3 | 1284 1285 | 4 | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | + | |||||||
| recG1 (BB0581) recG2 | 1155 1156 | 4 | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | + | |||||||
| rep1 (BB0607) rep2 | 1158 1159 | 4 | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | + | |||||||
| nucA1 (BB0411) nucA2 | 1176 1177 | 4 | 2/2 1/2 | 75.0% | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | + | |||||||
| mag1 (BB0422) mag2 | 1161 1162 | 4 | 2/2 1/2 | 75.0% | 2/2 1/2 | 75.0% | + | |||||||
| mfd1 (BB0623) mfd2 | 1180 1181 | 4 | 2/2 1/2 | 75.0% | 2/2 1/2 | 75.0% | + | |||||||
| nth1 (BB0745) nth2 | 525 526 | 4 | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | + | |||||||
| Day 35 | Persistence at day ≥35 | Switching at vlsE day 35 f | ||||||||||||
| Heart | Bladder | Joint | Ear | Total sites e | ||||||||||
| 5A4 wtd | 933 | 4/4 | 4/4 | 4/4 | 4/4 | 16/16 | 100.0% | + | ||||||
| recJ1 (BB0254) recJ5 | 1153 1154 | 4 | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | 0/2 0/2 | 0% | n/a | 2/2 1/2 | 2/2 1/2 | 0/2 1/2 | 2/2 2/2 | 6/8 5/8 | 68.8% | + |
| ruvB4 (BB0022) ruvB5 | 513 514 | 4 | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | 0/2 0/2 | 0% | n/a | 0/2 0/2 | 0/2 1/2 | 0/2 1/2 | 0/2 0/2 | 0/8 2/8 | 12.5% | −g |
| ruvA1 (BB0023) ruvA2 | 1174 1175 | 4 | 2/2 2/2 | 100.0% | 0/2 0/2 | 0% | n/a | 0/2 1/2 | 1/2 0/2 | 0/2 1/2 | 1/2 0/2 | 2/8 2/8 | 25.0% | −g |
| sbcD1 (BB0829) sbcD2 | 1251 1252 | 4 | 1/2 1/2 | 50.0% | 0/2 1/2 | 25.0% | + | 1/2 1/2 | 1/2 1/2 | 1/2 1/2 | 1/2 1/2 | 4/8 4/8 | 50.0% | + |
| sbcC2 (BB0830) sbcC3 | 1248 1249 | 4 | 2/2 0/2 | 50.0% | 2/2 0/2 | 50.0% | + | 2/2 0/2 | 2/2 0/2 | 2/2 0/2 | 2/2 0/2 | 8/8 0/8 | 50.0% | + |
| BBG32/6 BBG32/7 | 1233 1234 | 4 | 0/2 2/2 | 50.0% | 0/2 2/2 | 50.0% | + | 0/2 2/2 | 0/2 2/2 | 0/2 2/2 | 0/2 2/2 | 0/8 8/8 | 50.0% | + |
| priA2 (BB0014) priA3 | 1205 1206 | 4 | 1/2 0/2 | 25.0% | 0/2 0/2 | 0% | n/a | 1/2 2/2 | 1/2 2/2 | 1/2 2/2 | 1/2 2/2 | 3/8 8/8 | 68.8% | + |
a
Total number of mice analyzed.
b
Values listed correspond to number of cultures positive/number of sites tested.
c
Switching was determined by RFLP assay from available ear cultures at day 21.
d
Four mice infected with B. burgdorferi 5A4 were chosen as positive controls for organ harvests at day 35.
e
Number of positive tissue sites/number of sites tested.
f
Switching was determined by RFLP assay from available organ harvest cultures at day 35.
g
Switching by RFLP was negative, but DNA sequencing revealed low frequency switching at vlsE in all cases.