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Reaction of vertebrate serum complement with different Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species was used as a basis in determining reservoir hosts among domesticated and wild animals. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia garinii and Borrelia afzelii were tested for their sensitivity to serum of exotic vertebrate species housed in 5 zoos located in the Czech Republic. We confirmed that different Borrelia species have different sensitivity to host serum. We found that different tolerance to Borrelia infection possessed by hosts might alter among the individuals of the same genera or species and is not affected by host's age or sex. From all zoo animals included in our study, carnivores demonstrated the highest apparent reservoir competency for Lyme borreliosis spirochetes.

Sensitivity of spirochetes from Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex to serum complement of humans of different age and sex was analyzed. Complement-mediated Borrelia killing was observed in different combination of serum and selected Borrelia genospecies. The obtained results confirmed that age itself does not influence the sensitivity of human to Borrelia infection. However, the females seem to be more vulnerable to it. Each of ten tested Borrelia species was proved to be potentially infective for human in different ratio. The clear separation of all ten checked Borrelia species into two groups was revealed after the reaction with human sera: species with low sensitivity to human serum complement (mortality below 1 percent) and species with higher sensitivity (mortality over 3-4 percent).

Sensitivity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato to serum complement from various animals and humans was analyzed. Complement-mediated Borrelia killing was observed in different combination of host serum and Borrelia genospecies. The obtained results revealed species-specific patterns of viability or mortality of spirochetes that is associated with host reservoir competence for Borrelia genospecies. The results confirmed the fact that parasite-host relationship determines the competent reservoir of Borrelia genospecies in nature. The complement of the host may have a key role in the global ecology of Lyme disease.