FIG. 2.

(A to F) IFAs of borreliae harvested from the midguts of either flat or 4-day-fed I. scapularis nymphs harboring B. burgdorferi 297. Nymph midgut contents were expressed onto microscope slides, dried, fixed with acetone, and then probed with rat antiserum directed against either whole-cell lysates of B. burgdorferi 297 (A and B), OspC (C and D), or DbpA (E to G). (G) Smear of B. burgdorferi 297 cultivated in vitro at 34°C and probed with anti-DbpA antiserum. The secondary antibody probe was fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated goat anti-rat immunoglobulin G. Spirochetes were observed under a 40× objective; data were recorded via a charge-coupled device camera mounted on an Olympus dark-field and fluorescence microscope. Panels shown are representative of at least 30 microscope fields examined in each of two separate experiments.