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Sublethal Concentrations of Complement Can Effectively Opsonize Borrelia burgdorferi
Author(s) -
Suhonen J.,
Hartiala K.,
TuominenGustafsson H.,
Viljanen M. K.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3083.2002.01171.x
Subject(s) - borrelia burgdorferi , complement (music) , borrelia , microbiology and biotechnology , lyme disease , chemistry , biology , immunology , antibody , biochemistry , complementation , gene , phenotype
The fate of borreliae invading a human may depend on the early innate response they induce. The interactions of human complement system and neutrophils with two strains of the Lyme borreliosis spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi were studied. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto B31 (resistant to a 28% concentration of normal human serum (NHS)) and Borrelia garinii Bg Å218/98 (sensitive to 7% NHS) were examined. Both strains induced neutrophil oxidative burst in a complement‐dependent manner. B31 required the presence of 7% NHS, but Bg Å218/98 required the presence of only 0.7% NHS for optimal induction of the burst. At all concentrations of NHS, the proportion of the spirochetes with C3bi on their surfaces and the relative amount of C3bi bound per spirochete were larger with Bg Å218/98 than with B31. Bg Å218/98 was able to induce an oxidative burst, when provided with serum with blocked classical pathway of complement, whereas B31 required the presence of the classical pathway. We suggest a role for the opsonizing effect of complement in controlling borreliae that are either resistant to direct killing by complement or located in the compartments of the human body at sublethal concentrations of the same.