Motility of Lyme Disease Spirochetes in Fluids as Viscous as the Extracellular Matrix

When properties of extracellular fluids that might regulate the ability of the Lyme disease spirochete to locomote were investigated, the rate of progression correlated with viscoelasticity. Such spirochetes flexed and rotated but did not progress in relatively nonviscous fluids and migrated increas...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 1990-11, Vol.162 (5), p.1205-1208
Main Authors: Kimsey, Robert B., Spielman{xc|1}, Andrew
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
Borrelia burgdorferi
Borrelia burgdorferi Group - physiology
Cell Movement
Chemical suspensions
Concise Communications
Connective tissues
Extracellular Matrix - microbiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Glycosaminoglycans
Lyme disease
Methylcellulose
Microbiology
Motility, taxis
Skin
Spirochaetales
Trachea
Ungulates
Viscoelasticity
Viscosity
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:When properties of extracellular fluids that might regulate the ability of the Lyme disease spirochete to locomote were investigated, the rate of progression correlated with viscoelasticity. Such spirochetes flexed and rotated but did not progress in relatively nonviscous fluids and migrated increasingly rapidly as the viscous characteristics ofthe medium increased. The viscoelastic properties of various kinds of hyaluronic acid resembled those of a methylcellulose standard. The maximum velocity that spirochetes achieved in such solutions related directly to viscoelasticity rather than to chemical composition. Spirochetes remained motile during 3 h ofobservation despite 100-fold dilution of the standard nutrient medium. The immobility of Lyme disease spirochetes in media less viscous in character than fixed tissue suggests dissemination via the intercellular ground substance of skin.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/162.5.1205