| abstract |
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) from B. burgdorferi and in immunodeficient experimental animals that are viable pathogenic B. burgdorferi organisms were infected, preventing the formation of arthritis, pancarditis and hepatitis. The invention also relates to a method for obtaining the vaccine according to the invention, the hybridoma cell lines ECACC 89 09 1302, ECACC 90050405, ECACC 90050406 and ECACC 90050407, which secrete antibodies according to the invention and the pathogenic B. burgdorferi strain ZS7 (DSM 5527). The invention also relates to an antigen from B. burgdorferi which immunoreacts with an antibody according to the invention, a method for obtaining antigens according to the invention and active vaccines against Lyme disease which contain an antigen according to the invention as an essential component. Finally, the invention relates to a method for isolating and recultivating pathogenic B. burgdorferi organisms from immunodeficient experimental animals. |