ANTIGENIC/IMMUNOGENIC COMPONENTS--BORRELIA BURGDORFERI

莱姆病是一种蜱传的人畜共患病。 B的主要蜱媒。 伯氏硬蜱是缺乏宿主特异性的硬蜱。 控制 这种疾病通过减少啮齿动物水库的人口， 更大的哺乳动物宿主是不切实际的， 适得其反 杀螨剂的广泛使用值得怀疑 有效性，并可能因缺乏这些措施而产生不利的环境影响 的特异性。 在控制莱姆病方面迈出了重要的一步， 家畜和人类是发展一种安全，有效， 相对便宜的疫苗。 莱姆病的病例数 家畜和人类的数量正在增加。 莱姆病是一种复杂的 人畜共患病在蜱媒和动物之间的自然疫源地中维持 hosts. 休闲活动和生活接近“自然”的结果是 更容易接触到蜱虫媒介。 我们已经证明，仓鼠可以保护免受实验感染， B。Burgdorferi通过被动或主动免疫。这表明 莱姆病疫苗保护家畜的可行性 和人类的疾病。 的鉴定和表征 B的抗原。负责免疫感染的伯氏菌将 促进开发安全有效的莱姆病疫苗 疾病 此外，这些研究应该增加我们对 对B burgdorferi的免疫反应的性质。 这项建议的具体目标是： 1)鉴定B的免疫分型。在不同的地理区域， 2)以鉴定B的抗原组分。布格多费里联合公司 具有免疫型特异性，3）表征 B。与免疫型特异性相关，4）研究 免疫型特异性抗体与B相互作用。burgdorferi和5）至 开发寡核苷酸探针，以确定 表达B的免疫原性组分的基因。burgdorferi。

Lyme disease is a tick-borne zoonosis. The major tick vectors of B. burgdorferi are Ixodes species which lack host specificity. Control of this disease through reducing the population of the rodent reservoirs and larger mammalian hosts is impractical and may actually be counterproductive. The widespread use of acaricides is of questionable effectiveness and may have adverse environmental effects due to their lack of specificity. A major step toward the control of Lyme disease in domestic animals and humans is the development of a safe, effective and relatively inexpensive vaccine. The number of cases of Lyme disease in domestic animals and humans are increasing. Lyme disease is a complex zoonosis maintained in natural foci between its tick vectors and animal hosts. Recreational activities and living close to "nature" has resulted in greater exposure to the tick vectors. We have shown that hamsters can be protected from experimental infection by B. burgdorferi by either passive or active immunization. This suggests the feasibility of a Lyme disease vaccine for protecting both domestic animals and humans from this disease. The identification and characterization of the antigen(s) of B. burgdorferi responsible for immunity to infection will facilitate the development of a safe and effective vaccine for Lyme disease. In addition, these studies should increase our understanding of the nature of the immune response to B burgdorferi. The specific aims of this proposal are: 1) To identify immunotypes of B. burgdorferi in various geographical areas, 2) to identify the antigenic components(s) of B. burgdorferi associated with immunotype specificity, 3) to characterize antigenic components(s) of B. burgdorferi associated with immunotype specificity, 4) to investigate interaction of immunotype specific antibody with B. burgdorferi and 5) to develop oligonucleotide probes to identify the physical location of the gene(s) that express the immunogenic components(s) of B. burgdorferi.