Vaccine against lyme disease.

摘要

The invention relates to a passive vaccine against Lyme disease, which contains one or more monoclonal antibodies specific for the 31 kD antigen (OspA) and/or the 34 kD antigen (OspB) of B. burgdorferi and, in immunodeficient experimental animals which have been infected with viable pathogenic B. burgdorferi organisms, prevents the development of arthritis, pancarditis and hepatitis. The invention also relates to a process for obtaining the vaccine according to the invention, to the hybridoma cell lines ECACC 89 09 1302, ECACC 90050405, ECACC 90050406 and ECACC 90050407 which secrete antibodies according to the invention, and to the pathogenic B. burgdorferi strain ZS7 (DSM 5527). The invention likewise relates to an antigen from B. burgdorferi, which undergoes an immune reaction with an antibody according to the invention, to a process for obtaining antigens according to the invention and to active vaccines against Lyme disease which contain an antigen according to the invention as essential component. The invention finally relates to a process for the isolation and recultivation of pathogenic B. burgdorferi organisms from immunodeficient experimental animals.