TRANSFORMATION OF THE LYME-DISEASE SPIROCHETE BORRELIA-BURGDORFERI WITH HETEROLOGOUS DNA

Studies of the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi have been hindered by t he scarcity of genetic tools that can be used in these bacteria. For t he first time, a method has been developed by which heterologous DNA ( DNA without a naturally occurring B. burgdorferi homolog) can be intro duced into and persistently maintained by B. burgdorferi. This techniq ue uses integration of circular DNA into the bacterial genome via a si ngle-crossover event. The ability to transform B. burgdorferi with het erologous DNA will now permit a wide range of experiments on the biolo gy of these bacteria and their involvement in the many facets of Lyme disease.