The complement system is an ancient arm of the innate immune system that plays important roles in pathogen recognition and elimination. Upon activation by microbes, complement opsonizes bacterial surfaces, recruits professional phagocytes, and causes bacteriolysis. Borreliella species are spirochetal bacteria that are transmitted to vertebrate hosts via infected Ixodes ticks and are the etiologic agents of Lyme disease. Pathogens that traffic in blood and other body fluids, like Borreliella, have evolved means to evade complement. Lyme disease spirochetes interfere with complement by producing a small arsenal of outer-surface lipoproteins that bind host complement components and manipulate their native activities. Here we review the current landscape of complement evasion by Lyme disease spirochetes and provide an update on recent discoveries.

补体系统是先天免疫系统的一个古老分支，在病原体识别和消除中起着重要作用。被微生物激活后，补体调理细菌表面，招募专业吞噬细胞，并导致溶菌。疏螺旋体属是螺旋体细菌，通过受感染的硬蜱传播给脊椎动物宿主，是莱姆病的病原体。在血液和其他体液中传播的病原体，如疏螺旋体，进化出了逃避补的手段。莱姆病螺旋体通过产生一小部分外表面脂蛋白来干扰补体，这些脂蛋白结合宿主补体成分并操纵它们的天然活性。在这里，我们回顾了莱姆病螺旋体逃避补体的现状，并提供了最近发现的最新情况。