Lymphocyte proliferation assay in response to Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in experimentally infected C57bl/6 mice
2002
Malovrh, T., Ljubljana Univ. (Slovenia). Veterinary Fac. | Jurca, J. | Gruntar, I. | Kotnik, V.
Inbred C57bl/6 mice were intraperitoneally infected with Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) spirochaetes and tested in vitro for antigen-specific T-cell responses. Sonicated preparations of these washed spirochaetes were potent cell-activators capable of stimulating polyclonal proliferation after 72 h of culture, while increasing the incubation time to 120 h provoked specific cell-mediated responses. As revealed by an [3H]thymidineincorporation assay, in vitro antigen-specific proliferation could be induced in isolated murine splenocytes previously sensitised to B. burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), although not in those from control mice. Moreover, in mice presensitised to B. burgdorferi s.l., detectable cell-mediated responses could only be induced with antigen preparations derived from a corresponding species and not with those obtained from other Borrelia genospecies. The current study indicates that the B. burgdorferi s.l. antigen-specific response should also be taken into account in the accurate diagnostics of Borrelia infections in humans.
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