Strict Conservation yet Non-Essential Nature of Plasmid Gene bba40 in the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi

Abstract

The key finding of this study contradicts our premise that the ubiquitous presence and strict sequence conservation of a unique gene in the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi , reflect a critical role in either the murine host or tick vector in which these bacteria are maintained in nature. Instead, the outcome of this investigation illustrates the inadequate nature of the experimental infectious cycle currently employed in the laboratory to fully model the enzootic cycle of the Lyme disease spirochete.