Bacterial heterogeneity is a requirement for host superinfection by the Lyme disease spirochete.

ABSTRACT: In nature, mixed Borrelia burgdorferi infections are common and possibly can be acquired by either superinfection or coinfection. Superinfection by heterologous B. burgdorferi strains has been established experimentally, although the ability of homologous B. burgdorferi clones to superinfect a host has not been studied in detail. Information regarding any potential immune barriers to secondary infection also currently is unavailable. In the present study, the ability to superinfect various mouse models by homologous wild-type clones was examined and compared to superinfection by heterologous strains. To assess the ability of homologous B. burgdorferi clones to successfully superinfect a mouse host, primary- and secondary-infecting spirochetes were recovered via in vitro cultivation of coll

SUBMITTER: Rogovskyy AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4249317 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature