Fig. 2

Borrelia burgdorferi colonization is altered in germ-free isolator-raised Ixodes scapularis larvae. Quantitative PCR evaluation of A 16S rRNA amplicon as a measure of total bacterial abundance in unfed I. scapularis larvae raised in normal (N-unfed) or in germ-free (GF-unfed) isolators and in I. scapularis larvae raised in normal incubators and fed on B. burgdorferi-infected C57/B6 mice (N-fed) or I. scapularis larvae raised in germ-free isolators and fed on germ-free B. burgdorferi-infected C57/B6 mice (GF-fed). BFlagellinB (flaB) abundance in I. scapularis larvae raised in normal incubators and fed on B. burgdorferi-infected C57/B6 mice (N-fed); I. scapularis larvae raised in germ-free isolators and fed on germ-free B. burgdorferi-infected C57/B6 mice (GF-fed). C. B. burgdorferi burden in molted unfed I. scapularis nymphs raised in normal (N-unfed) or in germ-free (GF-unfed) isolators. Error bars are + SEM. Significance of differences assessed by non-parametric Mann-Whitney test (*p< 0.05, **p<0.005, ***p < 0.0001). Each data point in A and B represents a pool of 50 unfed larvae or 5 fed larvae. Each data point in C represents a pool of 5 unfed nymphal midguts