Relative contributions of innate and acquired host responses to bacterial control and arthritis development in Lyme disease

Abstract

ABSTRACTTLR2−/−/sciddouble-mutant mice were infected withB. burgdorferito assess the relative importance of acquired and innate host defenses. Although spirochete levels at 4 weeks were lower in TLR2−/−mice than in TLR2−/−/scidmice, the increased arthritis severity of TLR2 (Toll-like receptor 2)-deficient mice was reduced by the presence of thescidmutation.