SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENT BY FLOW-CYTOMETRY OF PHAGOCYTOSIS AND METABOLIC BURST INDUCED IN PHAGOCYTIC-CELLS IN WHOLE-BLOOD BY BORRELIA-BURGDORFERI

This paper describes the interactions between a strain of Borrelia bur gdoferi and phagocytic cells, measured in whole blood, by a two-color flow cytometric method, which allowed the simultaneous quantification of both the phagocytosis rate and the oxidative burst activation. The data obtained indicated that: a) phagocytosis and metabolic activation increased as a function of spirochete concentration; b) the number of ingesting cells peaked within 10 min but activation followed later, a nd did not involve all the phagocytosing cells; c) opsonization of bor reliae with a patient's serum enhanced the two cellular activities, mo stly phagocytosis. The intensity of such functions was lower than thos e found for Staphylococcus aureus. The flow cytometric assay of phagoc ytes interactions with Borrelia burgdoferi assessed in whole blood rep resents an experimental approach which simulates the physiological con ditions in nature.