THE COMPLEMENT-KILLING OF BORRELIA-BURGDORFERI - TARGET ANTIGENS AND SENSITIZING ANTIBODIES

It had been previously shown by the Microbial Adherence Immobilization Assay (MAIA) that Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, type strain B31 was clumped, immobilized and killed in vitro by sensitizing antibodie s that activated the classical complement pathway and the complement-k illing of live borrelia. In the present study, the target antigens and sensitizing antibodies responsible for the complement-killing of borr elia were investigated, using MAIA as a selective identification tool. It was found that the fractions containing the 31 and 34 kDa outer su rface proteins from strain B31 were the unique antigens producing sens itizing antibodies in rabbits that activated the complement-killing of B31. An anti-OspB, but not an anti-OspA, monoclonal antibody did acti vate the B31 complement-killing in MAIA. From these results, constrain ts on the effectiveness of OspB and OspA as immunogens for the prevent ion and control of Lyme borreliosis in humans are discussed.