Figure 3. The rrp1 mutant could not survive in artificially infected ticks upon feeding.
Unfed I. scapularis nymphs were microinjected with wild-type (5A4NP1), rrp1, or rrp1com spirochetes and then fed on naïve mice. The engorged nymphs were collected after repletion and subjected to IFA analysis using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled anti-B. burgdorferi antibody. Ten ticks were examined in each group and a representative image for each group of ticks is shown in this figure.