ANTIGENS OF LYME-DISEASE OF SPIROCHETE BORRELIA-BURGDORFERI INHIBITS ANTIGEN OR MITOGEN-INDUCED LYMPHOCYTE-PROLIFERATION

Modulation of cellular immune responses by the spirochaete Borrelia bu rgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, was demonstrated. Wh en cultured in the presence of sonicated Borrelia preparation (Bb), th e mitogen- or antigen-stimulated proliferative responses of normal lym phocytes were consistently lowered. Bb caused the greatest reduction i n Concanavalin A (ConA) or antigen-stimulated proliferation, where alm ost 100% reduction in proliferation could be achieved. Bb also reduced phytohemagglutinin-M (PHA) or pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-stimulated perip heral blood lymphocyte (PBL) proliferation, with the PWM proliferation being the least affected. This regulatory activity was not due to tox icity and was determined to be caused by Bb protein antigens. The degr ee of the proliferation reduction was directly proportional to both Bb quantity and length of exposure to lymphocytes. IL-2 production was s ignificantly reduced from Bb-exposed lymphocytes. The entry of lymphoc ytes into the proliferating phases of the cell cycle was also shown to be blocked. These results have demonstrated an immune suppressive mec hanism of B. burgdorferi. The magnitude of host immune responses may b e dependent on the degree of suppression which is related to the spiro chaete quantity and their length of presence in the host.