luxS mutants of Borrelia burgdorferi strain 297 naturally colonized their arthropod (Ixodes scapularis) vector, were maintained in ticks throughout the molting process (larvae to nymphs), were tick transmitted to uninfected mice, and elicited histopathology in mice indistinguishable from that induced by wild-type B. burgdorferi.
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Blevins et al. (2004) studied this question.