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Infection and Immunity, August 2006, p. 4519-4529, Vol. 74, No. 8
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00377-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Immunological and Molecular Analyses of the Borrelia hermsii Factor H and Factor H-Like Protein 1 Binding Protein, FhbA: Demonstration of Its Utility as a Diagnostic Marker and Epidemiological Tool for Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever

Kelley M. Hovis,1 Martin E. Schriefer,3 Sonia Bahlani,1 and Richard T. Marconi1,2*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology,1 Center for the Study of Biological Complexity, Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298-0678,2 Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado3

Received 7 March 2006/ Returned for modification 12 April 2006/ Accepted 16 May 2006

It has been demonstrated that Borrelia hermsii, a causative agent of relapsing fever, produces a factor H (FH) and FH-like protein 1 (FHL-1) binding protein. The binding protein has been designated FhbA. To determine if FH/FHL-1 binding is widespread among B. hermsii isolates, a diverse panel of strains was tested for the FH/FHL-1 binding phenotype and FhbA production. Most isolates (23/24) produced FhbA and bound FH/FHL-1. Potential variation in FhbA among isolates was analyzed by DNA sequence analyses. Two genetically distinct FhbA types, designated fhbA1 and fhbA2, were delineated, and type-specific PCR primers were generated to allow for rapid differentiation. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and hybridization analyses demonstrated that all isolates that possess the gene carry it on a 200-kb linear plasmid (lp200), whereas isolates that lack the gene lack lp200 and instead carry an lp170. To determine if FhbA is antigenic during infection and to assess the specificity of the response, recombinant FhbA1 (rFhbA1) and rFhbA2 were screened with serum from infected mice and humans. FhbA was found to be expressed and antigenic and to elicit a potentially type-specific FhbA response. To localize the epitopes of FhbA1 and FhbA2, truncations were generated and screened with infection serum. The epitopes were determined to be conformationally defined. Collectively, these analyses indicate that FH/FHL-1 binding is a widespread virulence mechanism for B. hermsii and provide insight into the genetic and antigenic structure of FhbA. The data also have potential implications for understanding the epidemiology of relapsing fever in North America and can be applied to the future development of species-specific diagnostic tools.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University, 1112 E. Clay St., McGuire Hall, Richmond, VA 23298-0678. Phone: (804) 828-3779. Fax: (804) 828-9946. E-mail: rmarconi{at}hsc.vcu.edu.

Editor: W. A. Petri, Jr.

Infection and Immunity, August 2006, p. 4519-4529, Vol. 74, No. 8
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00377-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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