15 – Antigenic Variation in Borrelia: Relapsing Fever and Lyme Borreliosis

摘要: Publisher Summary Relapsing fever (RF) was the first recognized example of antigenic variation. The typical pattern illness that followed by recovery and relapse attracted attention early immunologists. antibody response to large numbers spirochetes circulating in blood during RF applies a powerful selection on population bacteria. These pathogens have responded host's immune system with tactic multiphasic variation, consequence which for host are recurrences fever. repertoire polymorphic surface proteins occurs within individual lineages Borrelia spp. Lyme borreliosis (LB), sometimes called disease, afflicted humans centuries. course LB infection is more indolent plays out over months years skin, joints, central nervous system, other organs. There variation at least one type protein clonal populations agents, but allele another highly exists single copy spirochete's genome. In both there prominent changes major life cycle. phenotypic variations arise through differential gene expression, they mainly associated specific adaptations residence different hosts or transmission among hosts. This chapter focuses DNA rearrangements conversions serves evasion niche vertebrate