Figure 1.

An overview diagram of factors contributing to persistence of Borrelia burgdorferi in rodent hosts. Shown are eight bacterial characteristics and mechanisms that B. burgdorferi may use to establish persistence in the rodent host: Spirochete shape (38, 123), antigenic variation and changes in gene expression (77, 83, 89), plasminogen binding and destruction of the extracellular matrix (52), interference with the adaptive immune response (69, 74, 75), host–pathogen co-evolution (20, 124), tick salivary protein-mediated immunosuppression (34), adhesins allowing entrance into the vasculature and tissues (49, 50), and interference with complement via CRASPs, and BBK32 (45, 60, 62, 64).