ANTIBODIES TO OSPB PREVENT INFECTION OF C3H MICE CHALLENGED WITH BORRELIA-BURGDORFERI ISOLATES EXPRESSING TRUNCATED OSPB ANTIGENS

Truncation of outer surface protein B (OspB) of the Lyme disease agent , Borrelia burgdorferi, may allow the organism to escape immunological destruction and render an OspB-based vaccine ineffective. To investig ate this possibility, we have identified two isolates, 297 and CA4, wh ich predominantly express a truncated form of the OspB antigen. In eac h case, nucleic acid sequencing revealed that truncation of the OspB a ntigen resulted from a nonsense mutation within the 3' end of the ospB gene. Growth inhibition and protection studies demonstrated that both isolates were neutralized by an anti-OspB serum. Our results indicate that truncated forms of the OspB antigen possess epitopes that may re present important targets for neutralizing antibodies and thus, suppor t the inclusion of OspB as a component of a subunit vaccine. Copyright (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.