Role of the VlsE Lipoprotein in Immune Avoidance by the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi

may use a VlsE-mediated system for immune avoidance of its surface antigens. Several recent experimental studies involving host reinfection, superinfection, and the importance of VlsE antigenic variation during the pathogen's enzootic cycle have been used to address this question. Here, the cumulative results from these studies are reviewed, and the knowledge gaps that remain regarding the role of VlsE for immune avoidance are discussed.