Figure 6.

Lack of C1q alters the level of Borrelia-specific antibody subtypes IgM (A), IgG1 (B), IgG2a (C), IgG2b (D), and IgG3 (E) in infected mice. Whole blood was collected from mice infected with 10⁴ Borrelia burgdorferi strain MSK5 (24) at 7, 10, 21, and 28 days post-infection. Serum level of Borrelia-specific immunoglobulin subtypes was determined by ELISA using total protein lysate derived from B. burgdorferi strain MSK5. White columns refer to C57BL/6 mice, whereas red columns represent data from C1qα^−/− mice (n = 5; *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; and ***P < 0.001).