Genetic and antigenic characterization of Borrelia coriaceae, putative agent of epizootic bovine abortion

Abstract

Borrelia coriaceae was characterized genetically and antigenically by utilizing the following techniques: restriction endonuclease analysis, Southern blotting and genomic hybridization, pulsed-field electrophoresis, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and immunoblotting. The B. coriaceae genome revealed unique and characteristic banding patterns both by agarose gel electrophoresis and by hybridization when compared with several Borrelia burgdorferi isolates. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis demonstrated several linear plasmids ranging from 65 to 30 kilobase pairs. Cross-reaction with B. burgdorferi antigens ranging from 21 to 26 kilodaltons were demonstrated by immunoblotting with rabbit anti-B. coriaceae antiserum. However, most B. coriaceae antigens were quite distinct when compared with B. burgdorferi and Leptospira interrogans antigens.