Gern, Lise

1999, Zhong, Weimin, Gern, Lise, Stehle, Thomas, Museteanu, Crisan, Kramer, Michael, Wallich, Reinhard, Simon, Markus M

Vaccination with outer surface protein A (OspA) of Borrelia burgdorferi prevents subsequent infection and disease in both laboratory animals and humans with high efficacy. OspA-based immunity, however, does not affect established infection due to the loss of OspA expression in the vertebrate host. We show here that repeated passive transfer of mouse and/or rabbit immune sera to recombinant GST-OspC fusion protein resulted in a dose-dependent resolution (1) of fully established arthritis and carditis as well as infection in needle-challenged C.B-17 SCID and (2) of infection in both experimentally and tick-infected BALB/c mice. Unexpectedly, active immunization of disease-susceptible AKR/N mice with GST-OspC only led to prevention but not resolution of disease and infection, in spite of high serum titers of OspC-specific Ab and the expression of ospC in tissue-derived spirochetes. The data suggest that the efficacy of OspC antibody-mediated immunity depends on the immunological history of the recipient and/or environment-dependent regulation of OspC surface expression by spirochetes in vivo. The results encourage further attempts to develop therapeutic vaccination protocols against Lyme disease.

1997, Zhong, Weimin, Stehle, Thomas, Museteanu, Crisan, Siebers, Annette, Gern, Lise, Kramer, Michael, Wallich, Reinhard, Simon, Markus M

Passive and active immunization against outer surface protein A (OspA) has been successful in protecting laboratory animals against subsequent infection with Borrelia burgdorferi. Antibodies (Abs) to OspA convey full protection, but only when they are present at the time of infection, Abs inactivate spirochetes within the tick and block their transmission to mammals, but do not affect established infection because of the loss of OspA in the vertebrate host. Our initial finding that the presence of high serum titers of anti-OspC Abs (5 to 10 mu g/ml) correlates with spontaneous resolution of disease and infection in experimentally challenged immunocompetent mice suggested that therapeutic vaccination with OspC may be feasible. We now show that polyclonal and monospecific mouse immune sera to recombinant OspC, but not to OspA, of B. burgdorferi resolve chronic arthritis and carditis and clear disseminated spirochetes in experimentally infected C.B.-17 severe combined immunodeficient mice in a dose-dependent manner. This was verified by macroscopical and microscopical examination of affected tissues and recultivation of spirochetes from ear biopsies. Complete resolution of disease and infection was achieved, independent of whether OspC-specific immune sera (10 mu g OspC-specific Abs) were repeatedly given (4 x in 3- to 4-day intervals) before the onset (day 10 postinfection) or at the time of fully established arthritis and carditis (days 19 or 60 postinfection). The results indicate that in mice spirochetes constitutively express OspC and are readily susceptible to protective OspC-specific Abs throughout the infection. Thus, an OspC-based vaccine appears to be a candidate for therapy of Lyme disease.