Protective immunity is induced by a Borrelia burgdorferi mutant that lacks OspA and OspB.

A mutant of virulent Borrelia burgdorferi 297 was apparently selected for by long-term storage at 5 degrees C. This mutant was found to lack the plasmid which encodes outer surface protein A (OspA) and OspB. In addition to the loss of the OspA and OspB proteins, the mutant lacked two lipoproteins, of 20 and 7.5 kDa, that were observed in the wild type. Since the mutant was not recovered from the tissues or blood of hamsters injected with the mutant, the mutant was determined to be noninfectious. Hamsters vaccinated with noninfectious mutant 297 were protected completely from challenge with virulent wild-type 297 spirochetes. Prechallenge sera from hamsters vaccinated with mutant 297 lacked antibodies to OspA and OspB, while those from hamsters vaccinated with virulent wild-type 297 or avirulent 297 exhibited antibodies to these proteins. Hamsters vaccinated with virulent wild-type 297 or mutant 297 elicited antibodies to OspC and a 39-kDa protein (P39), whereas hamsters vaccinated with avirulent 297 lacked these antibodies. These results suggest that OspC and/or P39 are important for the development of a protective immune response. Study of this mutant may elucidate factors important to the development of a Lyme disease vaccine.