Analysis of Haemophilus parasuis by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis

Design of a multi-epitope vaccine against Haemophilus parasuis based on pan-genome and immunoinformatics approaches

Background

Glässer's disease, caused by Haemophilus parasuis (HPS), is responsible for economic losses in the pig industry worldwide. However, the existing commercial vaccines offer poor protection and there are significant barriers to the development of effective vaccines.

Methods

In the current study, we aimed to identify potential vaccine candidates and design a multi-epitope vaccine against HPS by performing pan-genomic analysis of 121 strains and using a reverse vaccinology approach.

Results

The designed vaccine constructs consist of predicted epitopes of B and T cells derived from the outer membrane proteins of the HPS core genome. The vaccine was found to be highly immunogenic, non-toxic, and non-allergenic as well as have stable physicochemical properties. It has a high binding affinity to Toll-like receptor 2. In addition, in silico immune simulation results showed that the vaccine elicited an effective immune response. Moreover, the mouse polyclonal antibody obtained by immunizing the vaccine protein can be combined with different serotypes and non-typable Haemophilus parasuis in vitro.

Conclusion

The overall results of the study suggest that the designed multi-epitope vaccine is a promising candidate for pan-prophylaxis against different strains of HPS.

Comparison of Two Multilocus Sequence Typing Schemes for Mycoplasma bovis and Revision of the PubMLST Reference Method

Mycoplasma bovis causes pneumonia, pharyngitis, otitis, arthritis, mastitis, and reproductive disorders in cattle and bison. Two multilocus sequence typing (MLST) schemes have been developed for M. bovis, with one serving as the PubMLST reference method, but no comparison of the schemes has been undertaken. Although the PubMLST scheme has proven to be highly discriminatory and informative, the recent discovery of isolates missing one of the typing loci, adh-1, raises concern about its suitability for continued use. The goal of our study was to compare the performance of the two MLST schemes and identify a new reference scheme capable of fully typing all isolates. We evaluated 448 isolates from diverse geographic and anatomic sites that collectively represent cattle, bison, deer, and a goat. The discrimination indexes (DIs) for the PubMLST and the alternative scheme are 0.909 (91 sequence types [STs]) and 0.842 (77 STs), respectively. Although the PubMLST scheme outperformed the alternative scheme, the adh-1 locus must be retired from the PubMLST scheme if it is to be retained as a reference method. The DI obtained using the six remaining PubMLST loci (0.897, 79 STs) fails to reach the benchmark recommended for a reference method (0.900), mandating the addition of a seventh locus. Comparative analysis of genome sequences from the isolates used here identified the dnaA locus from the alternative scheme as the optimal replacement for adh-1 This revised scheme, which will be implemented as the new PubMLST reference method, has a DI of 0.914 and distinguishes 88 STs from the 448 isolates evaluated.

Development of a Multiplex PCR Assay for Rapid Molecular Serotyping of Haemophilus parasuis

Haemophilus parasuis causes Glässer's disease and pneumonia in pigs. Indirect hemagglutination (IHA) is typically used to serotype this bacterium, distinguishing 15 serovars with some nontypeable isolates. The capsule loci of the 15 reference strains have been annotated, and significant genetic variation was identified between serovars, with the exception of serovars 5 and 12. A capsule locus and in silico serovar were identified for all but two nontypeable isolates in our collection of >200 isolates. Here, we describe the development of a multiplex PCR, based on variation within the capsule loci of the 15 serovars of H. parasuis, for rapid molecular serotyping. The multiplex PCR (mPCR) distinguished between all previously described serovars except 5 and 12, which were detected by the same pair of primers. The detection limit of the mPCR was 4.29 × 10(5) ng/μl bacterial genomic DNA, and high specificity was indicated by the absence of reactivity against closely related commensal Pasteurellaceae and other bacterial pathogens of pigs. A subset of 150 isolates from a previously sequenced H. parasuis collection was used to validate the mPCR with 100% accuracy compared to the in silico results. In addition, the two in silico-nontypeable isolates were typeable using the mPCR. A further 84 isolates were analyzed by mPCR and compared to the IHA serotyping results with 90% concordance (excluding those that were nontypeable by IHA). The mPCR was faster, more sensitive, and more specific than IHA, enabling the differentiation of 14 of the 15 serovars of H. parasuis.

The use of genome wide association methods to investigate pathogenicity, population structure and serovar in Haemophilus parasuis

Background

Haemophilus parasuis is the etiologic agent of Glässer’s disease in pigs and causes devastating losses to the farming industry. Whilst some hyper-virulent isolates have been described, the relationship between genetics and disease outcome has been only partially established. In particular, there is weak correlation between serovar and disease phenotype. We sequenced the genomes of 212 isolates of H. parasuis and have used this to describe the pan-genome and to correlate this with clinical and carrier status, as well as with serotype.

Results

Recombination and population structure analyses identified five groups with very high rates of recombination, separated into two clades of H. parasuis with no signs of recombination between them. We used genome-wide association methods including discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) and generalised linear modelling (glm) to look for genetic determinants of this population partition, serovar and pathogenicity. We were able to identify genes from the accessory genome that were significantly associated with phenotypes such as potential serovar specific genes including capsule genes, and 48 putative virulence factors that were significantly different between the clinical and non-clinical isolates. We also show that the presence of many previously suggested virulence factors is not an appropriate marker of virulence.

Conclusions

These genes will inform the generation of new molecular diagnostics and vaccines, and refinement of existing typing schemes and show the importance of the accessory genome of a diverse species when investigating the relationship between genotypes and phenotypes.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-1179) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Multilocus sequence typing of Mycoplasma bovis reveals host-specific genotypes in cattle versus bison

Mycoplasma bovis is a primary agent of mastitis, pneumonia and arthritis in cattle and the bacterium most frequently isolated from the polymicrobial syndrome known as bovine respiratory disease complex. Recently, M. bovis has emerged as a significant health problem in bison, causing necrotic pharyngitis, pneumonia, dystocia and abortion. Whether isolates from cattle and bison comprise genetically distinct populations is unknown. This study describes the development of a highly discriminatory multilocus sequencing typing (MLST) method for M. bovis and its use to investigate the population structure of the bacterium. Genome sequences from six M. bovis isolates were used for selection of gene targets. Seven of 44 housekeeping genes initially evaluated were selected as targets on the basis of sequence variability and distribution within the genome. For each gene target sequence, four to seven alleles could be distinguished that collectively define 32 sequence types (STs) from a collection of 94 cattle isolates and 42 bison isolates. A phylogeny based on concatenated target gene sequences of each isolate revealed that bison isolates are genetically distinct from strains that infect cattle, suggesting recent disease outbreaks in bison may be due to the emergence of unique genetic variants. No correlation was found between ST and disease presentation or geographic origin. MLST data reported here were used to populate a newly created and publicly available, curated database to which researchers can contribute. The MLST scheme and database provide novel tools for exploring the population structure of M. bovis and tracking the evolution and spread of strains.

Identification of a novel Haemophilus parasuis-specific B cell epitope using monoclonal antibody against the OppA protein

Monoclonal antibody (MAb) 1B3 against Haemophilus parasuis (H. parasuis) was generated by fusing SP2/0 murine myeloma cells and spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized with the whole-bacterial-cell suspension of H. parasuis HS80 (serotype 5). The MAb 1B3 showed strong reactivity with 15 serotype reference strains of H. parasuis using Dot blot and Western blot analysis. Immunoprecipitation and protein spectral analysis indicated that MAb 1B3 recognized by Oligopeptide permease A (OppA) belongs to the ATP binding cassette transporter family. In addition, a linear B-cell epitope recognized by MAb 1B3 was identified by the screening of a phage-displayed 12-mer random peptide library. Sequence analysis showed that MAb 1B3 was recognized by phages-displaying peptides with the consensus motif KTPSEXR (X means variable amino acids). Its amino acid sequence matched (469)KTPAEAR(475) of H. parasuis OppA protein. A series of progressively truncated peptides were synthesized to define the minimal region that was required for MAb 1B3 binding. The epitope was highly conserved in OppA protein sequences from the isolated H. parasuis strains, which was confirmed by alignment analysis. Furthermore, the minimal linear epitope was highly specific among 75 different bacterial strains as shown in sequence alignments. These results indicated MAb 1B3 might be potentially used to develop serological diagnostic tools for H. parasuis.

Genetic diversity of Haemophilus parasuis from sick and healthy pigs

A collection of 94 Haemophilus parasuis isolates was used for this study. It consisted of isolates from organs of pigs with Glässer's disease and pneumonia (n=54), from nasal swabs of healthy pigs in farms without Glässer's disease problems (n=25), and 15 reference strains. These isolates were typed using a new multilocus variable number of tandem repeats analysis (MLVA) protocol and investigated for the presence of nine putative virulence genes. The new MLVA protocol was highly discriminatory (54 types identified and discrimination index of 97.4%) and reproducible. Similar to previous investigations done with other methods, two major genetic clusters were identified by MLVA, which partially correlated with serotype and virulence gene distributions. Gene linkage analysis suggested that lateral gene transfer occurs within each of these clusters, but rarely between them. Although one single MLVA type included more than 20% of the clinical isolates, no significant correlation was detected between a specific MLVA type, the major genetic clusters, or the presence of any of the virulence genes investigated or the source of the isolates (clinical infection vs. healthy pig). The MLVA typing protocol described in this study is a promising new tool for future investigations into the epidemiology of Glässer's disease and could help us to better understand interacting microbial, host and environmental factors that lead to the development of H. parasuis disease.

Molecular characterisation of resistance to fluoroquinolones in Haemophilus parasuis isolated from China

There are many studies on fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance in the literature, but little is known regarding the molecular characterisation of FQ-resistant Haemophilus parasuis. In this study, a total of 138 H. parasuis isolates were examined, among which 83 (60.1%) were resistant to enrofloxacin (EFX) and 8 (5.8%) were resistant to levofloxacin (LFX) as determined by Etest. Ten point mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining regions of gyrA, gyrB, parC and parE were detected by PCR and DNA sequencing. Interestingly, 100% of the resistant isolates contained mutations at 87D of gyrA, but other mutations occurred less frequently. Furthermore, it was found that there was synergy between 73S→R/I in parC and other point mutations with respect to FQ resistance. To examine the effect of different point mutations on FQ resistance, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of EFX and LFX were determined for strains generated by site-directed mutagenesis, and three point mutations (gyrA 87D→N, parC 73S→R and parE 551T→A) were shown to be involved in FQ resistance.

A curated public database for multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and analysis of Haemophilus parasuis based on an optimized typing scheme

Haemophilus parasuis causes Glässer's disease and pneumonia in swine. Serotyping is often used to classify isolates but requires reagents that are costly to produce and not standardized or widely available. Sequence-based methods, such as multilocus sequence typing (MLST), offer many advantages over serotyping. An MLST scheme was previously proposed for H. parasuis but genome sequence data only recently available reveals the primers recommended, based on sequences of related bacteria, are not optimal. Here we report modifications to enhance the original method, including primer redesign to eliminate mismatches with H. parasuis sequences and to avoid regions of high sequence heterogeneity, standardization of primer T(m)s and identification of universal PCR conditions that result in robust and reproducible amplification of all targets. The modified typing method was applied to a collection of 127 isolates from North and South America, Europe and Asia. An alignment of the concatenated sequences obtained from seven target housekeeping genes identified 278 variable nucleotide sites that define 116 unique sequence types. A comparison of the original and modified methods using a subset of 86 isolates indicates little difference in overall locus diversity, discriminatory power or in the clustering of strains within Neighbor-Joining trees. Data from the optimized MLST were used to populate a newly created and publicly available H. parasuis database. An accompanying database designed to capture provenance and epidemiological information for each isolate was also created. The modified MLST scheme is highly discriminatory but more robust, reproducible and user-friendly than the original. The MLST database provides a novel resource for investigation of H. parasuis outbreaks and for tracking strain evolution.

Comparison of Haemophilus parasuis reference strains and field isolates by using random amplified polymorphic DNA and protein profiles

Background

Haemophilus parasuis is the causative agent of Glässer’s disease and is a pathogen of swine in high-health status herds. Reports on serotyping of field strains from outbreaks describe that approximately 30% of them are nontypeable and therefore cannot be traced. Molecular typing methods have been used as alternatives to serotyping. This study was done to compare random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiles and whole cell protein (WCP) lysate profiles as methods for distinguishing H. parasuis reference strains and field isolates.

Results

The DNA and WCP lysate profiles of 15 reference strains and 31 field isolates of H. parasuis were analyzed using the Dice and neighbor joining algorithms. The results revealed unique and reproducible DNA and protein profiles among the reference strains and field isolates studied. Simpson’s index of diversity showed significant discrimination between isolates when three 10mer primers were combined for the RAPD method and also when both the RAPD and WCP lysate typing methods were combined.

Conclusions

The RAPD profiles seen among the reference strains and field isolates did not appear to change over time which may reflect a lack of DNA mutations in the genes of the samples. The recent field isolates had different WCP lysate profiles than the reference strains, possibly because the number of passages of the type strains may affect their protein expression.

A comprehensive proteome map of the Haemophilus parasuis serovar 5

Haemophilus parasuis is the causative agent of Glässer's disease of pigs, a disease associated with fibrinous polyserositis, polyarthritis and meningitis. Systematic reference maps of outer membrane, intracellular and extracellular proteome fractions of the clinical isolate H. parasuis SH0165 were examined by 2-DE coupled with MALDI-TOF MS. A total of 539 proteins spots were successfully identified, corresponding to 317 different proteins that were classified into functional categories. The majority of these proteins were linked to housekeeping functions in amino acid transport and metabolism, secondary metabolites biosynthesis, transport and catabolism and post-translational modification, protein turnover and chaperones. A significant number of outer membrane proteins were identified, such as Wza, Omp2, Omp5, D15 and PalA, which were supposed to play important roles in basic physiology of H. parasuis. In addition, several virulence-associated proteins involved in type I (TolC), type III (DsbA and DsbC) and type V (Autotransporter adhesins) secretion systems, and solute-binding proteins participating in iron-uptake systems were also identified in the present study.

Study of the population structure of Haemophilus parasuis by multilocus sequence typing

Haemophilus parasuis is the aetiological agent of Glässer's disease in swine. In addition, this bacterium causes other clinical outcomes and can also be isolated from the upper respiratory tract of healthy pigs. Isolates of H. parasuis differ in phenotypic features (e.g. protein profiles, colony morphology or capsule production) and pathogenic capacity. Differences among strains have also been demonstrated at the genetic level. Several typing methods have been used to classify H. parasuis field strains, but they had resolution or implementation problems. To overcome these limitations, a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) system, using partial sequences of the house-keeping genes mdh, 6pgd, atpD, g3pd, frdB, infB and rpoB, was developed. Eleven reference strains and 120 field strains were included in this study. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 14 to 41, 6pgd being the locus with the highest diversity. The high genetic heterogeneity of this bacterium was confirmed with MLST, since the strains were divided into 109 sequence types, and only 13 small clonal complexes were detected by the Burst algorithm. Further analysis by unweighted-pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) identified six clusters. When the clinical background of the isolates was examined, one cluster was statistically associated with nasal isolation (putative non-virulent), while another cluster showed a significant association with isolation from clinical lesions (putative virulent). The remaining clusters did not show a statistical association with the clinical background of the isolates. Finally, although recombination among H. parasuis strains was detected, two divergent branches were found when a neighbour-joining tree was constructed with the concatenated sequences. Interestingly, one branch included almost all isolates of the putative virulent UPGMA cluster.

Update on the diagnosis of Haemophilus parasuis infection in pigs and novel genotyping methods

Haemophilus parasuis causes Glässer's disease as well as a number of other diseases in pigs. The diagnosis of H. parasuis-associated disease is usually established by clinical signs, pathological findings and bacterial isolation but diagnosis is complicated by the existence of non-virulent strains and the early colonisation of the upper respiratory tract of healthy piglets. Moreover, several strains can be found on a farm and even within a single animal so it is important to determine the specific strain that is causing the clinical outbreak. Recently, genotyping methods have been developed with the goal of correlating genotype with the degree of virulence of H. parasuis strains. The association between genotype and virulence in H. parasuis is challenging due to the lack of knowledge of the complete genomic sequence and virulence factors of this bacterium.

Development of an improved species specific PCR test for detection of Haemophilus parasuis

A PCR test for identification of Haemophilus parasuis was optimized using the 16S rDNA sequences of the 15 serotype reference strains of H. parasuis. The test was evaluated on a collection of 218 Danish field isolates as well as on 81 representatives of 27 other species, including genetically affiliated species within Pasteurellaceae. In addition, DNA preparations from 56 H. parasuis isolates from North America were included. To obtain a test that was specific for H. parasuis, a multiplex PCR using 3 different primers was developed. The PCR test produced an amplicon of approximately 1090 bp only with representatives of H. parasuis. The test was further evaluated on 55 clinical samples from 16 Danish pigs suspected for being infected with H. parasuis, showing polyserositis or septicemia at autopsy as well as on 492 nasal swabs. The test was compared with the performance of a PCR test earlier published by Oliveira et al. [Oliveira, S., Galina, L., Pijoan, C., 2001. Development of a PCR test to diagnose Haemophilus parasuis infections. J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. 13, 495-501]. The sensitivity of the present PCR test was found to be slightly lower when applied on clinical samples from diseased pigs and 10-fold lower when tested on pure cultures of H. parasuis (5CFU and 0.5CFU/PCR reaction, respectively). Addition of 1.4 x 10(5) Escherichia coli to each PCR tube did not alter the sensitivity of the tests. No difference in sensitivity of the tests was observed when tested on purified DNA. On the other hand, the present PCR test was found to be 100% species specific for H. parasuis, in contrast to the PCR test of Oliveira et al., which also tested positive for strains belonging to A. indolicus, A. porcinus, and A. minor, species commonly occurring in the upper respiratory tract. However, when the PCR test of Oliveira et al. is used on samples from systemic locations the chances for false positive results are apparently low. The present PCR test represents a rapid and reliable method for genetically based identification of H. parasuis. The high species specificity of the test makes it suitable for detection of H. parasuis in clinical samples, regardless of the presence of affiliated species and contaminating flora. As the two PCR tests differ in sensitivity and specificity, the use of both PCR tests for different purposes is a possibility.

Genotypic diversity of Haemophilus parasuis field strains

Haemophilus parasuis is the cause of Glässer's disease and other clinical disorders in pigs. It can also be isolated from the upper respiratory tracts of healthy pigs, and isolates can have significant differences in virulence. In this work, a partial sequence from the 60-kDa heat shock protein (Hsp60) gene was assessed as an epidemiological marker. We analyzed partial sequences of hsp60 and 16S rRNA genes from 103 strains of H. parasuis and other related species to obtain a better classification of the strains and examine the correlation with virulence. The results were compared with those obtained by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR. Our results showed that hsp60 is a reliable marker for epidemiological studies of H. parasuis and that the analysis of its sequence is a better approach than fingerprinting methods. Furthermore, the analysis of the hsp60 and 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed the presence of a separate lineage of virulent strains and indicated the occurrence of lateral gene transfer among H. parasuis and Actinobacillus strains.

Plasmid-encoded Tet B tetracycline resistance in Haemophilus parasuis

The complete sequence of two plasmids, pHS-Tet (5.1 kb) and pHS-Rec (9.5 kb), isolated from Haemophilus parasuis strain HS1543 has been obtained. Plasmid pHS-Tet contains four open reading frames including a tet(B) tetracycline resistance gene which unusually did not have an associated tetR repressor gene. From a total of 45 H. parasuis isolates surveyed (15 international reference strains, 15 field isolates selected for their genetic diversity, and 15 recent Australian field isolates), 2 tetracycline-resistant field isolates (HS226 and HS1859) were identified. Analysis of three additional isolates from the same disease outbreak as strain HS1859 revealed a further tetracycline-resistant H. parasuis strain (HS1857, serovar 8) and a tetracycline-resistant Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae strain (HS1861). An approximately 10.6-kb plasmid was identified in field isolate HS226 and outbreak strains HS1857, HS1859, and HS1861. Southern hybridization analysis of these plasmids showed that the Tet B determinant was present, and restriction digest comparisons suggest that these plasmids are related. This is believed to be the first report of native H. parasuis plasmids and Tet B-mediated tetracycline resistance in this microorganism.

aroA gene PCR-RFLP diversity patterns in Haemophilus parasuis and Actinobacillus species

The Haemophilus parasuis aroA gene encodes 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase and participates in the aromatic amino acids and the folic acid universal metabolic pathway of bacteria. The application of aroA-based PCR-RFLP methodology yields a significant degree of diversity in H. parasuis and Actinobacillus species. PCR amplification of the aroA gene rendered a 1,067-bp fragment in all 15 H. parasuis serovars, and also in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1-12, Actinobacillus lignieresii, Actinobacillus equuli, Actinobacillus porcinus, Actinobacillus rossii, Actinobacillus suis, Actinobacillus ureae, Actinobacillus minor and Actinobacillus indolicus. Sau3AI and RsaI digestions of the aroA PCR products rendered seven different restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns: group I (H. parasuis serovars 1, 2, 4-6, and 8-15, A. porcinus and A. ureae), group II (H. parasuis serovars 3 and 7, and A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 4, 5, 9, 11 and 12), group III (A. lignieresii), group IV (A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 7), group V (A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 2, 3, 6 and 8, A. equuli, A. rossii, A. minor and A. indolicus), group VI (A. suis) and group VII (A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 10). This is the first report describing the presence of aroA gene in H. parasuis, A. lignieresii, A. porcinus, A. rossii, A. suis, A. ureae, A. minor and A. indolicus and the data presented here demonstrates a significant degree of aroA genetic diversity in H. parasuis and species of the genus Actinobacillus.

Comparison of the indirect haemagglutination and gel diffusion test for serotyping Haemophilus parasuis

The aim of this study was to compare the use of indirect haemagglutination (IHA) and gel diffusion (GD) tests for serotyping Haemophilus parasuis by the Kielstein-Rapp-Gabrielson (KRG) scheme. All 15 serovar reference strains, 72 Australian field isolates, nine Chinese field isolates, and seven isolates from seven experimentally infected pigs were evaluated with both tests. With the IHA test, 14 of the 15 reference strains were correctly serotyped-with serovar 10 failing to give a titre with serovar 10 antiserum. In the GD test, 13 reference strains were correctly serotyped-with antigen from serovars 7 and 8 failing to react with any antiserum. The IHA methodology serotyped a total of 45 of 81 field isolates while the GD methodology serotyped a total of 48 isolates. For 29 isolates, the GD and IHA methods gave discordant results. It was concluded that the IHA is a good additional test for the serotyping of H. parasuis by the KRG scheme if the GD methodology fails to provide a result or shows unusual cross-reactions.

Serological characterization of Danish Haemophilus parasuis isolates

A total of 103 Danish Haemophilus parasuis field isolates was collected from diseased pigs in connection with routine diagnostics. The isolates were serotyped using indirect haemagglutination (IHA) and for 57 of the isolates the serotyping was also performed by immunodiffusion. Serovar 5 was the most prevalent (36%), followed by serovar 4 (13%) and serovar 13 (22%), whereas 15% of the strains were nontypeable by IHA. Serovars 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, and 15 were only represented by a small number of isolates. Most of the Danish isolates belong to serovars, which earlier have been shown to be virulent. The strains could be divided into two groups depending on whether they were isolated from cases with systemic disease (polyserositis, arthritis or meningitis) or if they only were found in the lower respiratory tract. The most marked differences were observed for serovar 4, which had a higher prevalence in respiratory disease compared to systemic infection, and for the nontypeable isolates, which were mainly found in cases of systemic infection.

Haemophilus parasuis: new trends on diagnosis, epidemiology and control

Haemophilus parasuis is a commensal organism of the upper respiratory tract of conventional pigs, but under appropriate conditions can invade and cause severe systemic disease, characterized by fibrinous polyserositis, arthritis and meningitis. Factors involved in systemic invasion by H. parasuis remain largely unknown. However, major advances in our knowledge of H. parasuis include (1) development of a species-specific PCR test to detect H. parasuis in clinical samples, (2) study of molecular epidemiology within and between herds, by use of a repetitive element-based PCR, (3) the proposal of an alternative serotyping technique, (4) development and testing of a new in vivo model for pathogenesis and virulence studies, and (5) use of controlled exposure of young pigs to low doses of live, virulent H. parasuis strains to reduce nursery mortality in affected swine herds.

A search for virulence genes of Haemophilus parasuis using differential display RT-PCR

Although Haemophilus parasuis is an important bacterial pathogen of swine, little is known about its pathogenesis or why some strains seem to be more virulent than others. Therefore, we used differential display reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (DDRT-PCR) to search for virulence-associated genes in a pathogenic serotype 5 strain, H. parasuis 1185. Gene expression was evaluated following growth in conditions chosen to begin to approximate those found in the upper respiratory tract and those encountered by the organism during acute infection. Seven different differentially expressed gene fragments were identified in cells grown at 40 degrees C in both the presence and absence of swine serum. Based on the deduced amino acid sequences, the most strongly up-regulated genes were homologs of fadD (a fatty acyl-CoA synthetase), apaH (diadenosine tetraphosphatase), pstI (enzyme I of the phosphoenolpyruvate-protein phosphotransferase system), and cysK (cysteine synthetase). Homologs of Std (Na(+)- and Cl(-)-dependent ion transporter), HSPG (a mammalian basement membrane-specific heparin sulphate core protein precursor) and PntB (pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase) were also up-regulated, but to a much lower extent. Sequences homologous to all of the differentially expressed genes were detected in the reference strains of all 15 H. parasuis serotypes. This is the first report of a global search for virulence factors of H. parasuis.

Characterization of the diversity of Haemophilus parasuis field isolates by use of serotyping and genotyping

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the genetic diversity of Haemophilus parasuis field isolates with regard to serovar, herd of origin, and site of isolation.

SAMPLE POPULATION

Isolates of H parasuis obtained from pigs in 15 North American herds and multi-farm systems.

PROCEDURE

98 H parasuis isolates were genotyped with the enterobacterial repetitive intergeneic consensus based-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) technique and serotyped via agar gel precipitation test. Genomic fingerprints were analyzed and dendrograms were constructed to identify strains from the same serovar group, herd of origin, or isolation site and to evaluate the genetic variability within these categories.

RESULTS

Serovar 4 (39%) and nontypeable (NT) isolates (27%) were most prevalent. Thirty-four distinct strains were identified among the 98 isolates, using a 90% similarity cutoff. Strains from serovar 4 and NT isolates had high genetic diversity (12 and 18 strains, respectively). One to 3 major clusters of prevalent strains could be identified in most of the evaluated herds. Haemophilus parasuis strains isolated from the upper respiratory tract were either serovar 3 or NT isolates. Potentially virulent strains (isolated from systemic sites) were either serovars 1, 2, 4, 5, 12, 13, or 14, or NT isolates.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Although H parasuis had high genetic diversity overall, only a few strains caused disease in these herds. The ERIC-PCR technique was more discriminative than serotyping, and a broad genetic variety was observed within particular serovar groups.

Value of indirect hemagglutination and coagglutination tests for serotyping Haemophilus parasuis

An indirect hemagglutination test (IHA) and a coagglutination test (CA) were evaluated using saline, boiled, and autoclaved extracts for serotyping Haemophilus parasuis. CA showed several cross-reactions, whereas IHA gave rise to specific reactions, with minor exceptions. IHA was further compared with the immunodiffusion test (the "gold standard") for the serotyping of 67 field isolates. As a conclusion, IHA is recommended as a useful method for sensitive and specific serotyping of H. parasuis.

Outer membrane proteins and DNA profiles in strains of Haemophilus parasuis recovered from systemic and respiratory sites

Polyserositis caused by Haemophilus parasuis is an important disease that affects mostly weaned pigs. Recent studies have shown that virulence can differ among strains recovered from distinct body sites and also that it may be related to the presence of certain outer membrane proteins (OMPs). The objective of this study was to compare the OMP and DNA profiles of H. parasuis strains isolated from systemic and respiratory sites from diseased and healthy pigs. Strains evaluated in this study were processed using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and repetitive-PCR techniques. Two experiments were conducted in order to better define the relationship among genotype, phenotype, and site of isolation. Experiment 1 included 53 H. parasuis isolates recovered from healthy and diseased pigs from unrelated herds. Experiment 2 included 31 isolates of H. parasuis obtained from diseased pigs involved in an outbreak in a large, multifarm system. Results showed that strains recovered from systemic sites had more homogeneous OMP and DNA profiles than those isolated from respiratory sites. Evaluation of isolates involved in the multifarm outbreak showed that only two H. parasuis strains were causing disease. These strains had homogeneous OMP and DNA profiles. However, it was noted that these two parameters were unrelated, since strains classified in the same genotype group expressed different OMP profiles. The homogeneity of OMP and DNA profiles of strains isolated from systemic sites strongly suggests the existence of clonal relationships between virulent strains and also suggests that expression of certain OMP profiles may be related to virulence.

Use of multilocus enzyme electrophoresis to distinguish clinically important strains of Staphylococcus intermedius from the skin of dogs

AIMS

To use multilocus enzyme electrophoresis to determine the genetic structure of Staphylococcus intermedius from normal skin of dogs and those isolated from a variety of disease conditions and to distinguish clinically important strains in dogs.

METHODOLOGY

The diversity amongst 129 isolates of S intermedius from the skin and mucosa of 32 healthy dogs and 120 isolates from diseased sites in 120 individual dogs was examined using multilocus enzyme electrophoresis. Associations among ETs were examined to determine the diversity of isolates.

RESULTS

Twenty two ETs were distinguished comprising 21 containing isolates from diseased sites and 11 containing isolates from normal dogs. The majority of isolates (171 of 249; 69% were located in two ETs (ET1 and ET 4), that were not distinguishable phenotypically. ET 1 contained 94 isolates (54 isolates from healthy dogs and 40 isolates from diseased sites) and ET 4 contained 77 isolates (46 from healthy dogs and 31 isolates from diseased sites). Further, 77.5% of isolates from healthy dogs were present in ET 1 and ET 4 and 59% of isolates from diseased dogs belonged to the same two ETs. There was only a small difference in genetic diversity among isolates taken from healthy dogs (11 ETs; H = 0.182) and those isolates taken from clinical specimens from diseased dogs (21 ETs; H = 0.218). Of the 21 ETs from diseased sites, ET 16 contained all six isolates from Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome in racing Greyhounds.

CONCLUSIONS

The small difference in genetic diversity between isolates from the skin and mucosa of healthy dogs and isolates from various diseases, as well as the presence of the majority of isolates in two ETs, is consistent with the role of S intermedius as an opportunistic pathogen. The confinement of all Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome isolates within one ET is confirmation of this entity as a distinct disease of dogs.