Relative Contributions of Innate and Acquired Host Responses to Bacterial Control and Arthritis Development in Lyme Disease

Abstract

TLR2^−/−/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.