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Characterization Of P39, A Borrelia Burgdorferi Specific Protein, Jill M. Troyer
Characterization Of P39, A Borrelia Burgdorferi Specific Protein, Jill M. Troyer
Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences
Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, expresses a species specific, 39 kiloDalton protein of unknown function called P39. This protein is highly immunogenic and the presence of anti-P39 antibodies in patient sera is used as an indicator of B. burgdorferi infection. P39 is also a candidate for vaccine developement due to conserved expression of P39 among B. burgdorferi isolates. Since little is presently known about this important molecule, the present study was designed to characterize P39 and was carried out in six separate investigations. First, infectious and noninfectious isolates of B. burgdorferi were established in vitro, and …