Antigenic heterogeneity of Haemophilus somnus

A Predominant Clonal Thromboembolic Meningoencephalitis Group of Histophilus somni Assigned by Major Outer Membrane Protein Gene Sequencing and Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis

Histophilus somni, a member of the family Pasteurellaceae, causes a variety of diseases, including thromboembolic meningoencephalitis (TEME) and respiratory diseases, which result in considerable economic losses to the cattle and sheep industries. In this study, 132 chronologically diverse isolates from cattle in Japan and 68 isolates from other countries comprising 49 from cattle and 19 from sheep were characterized using major outer membrane protein (MOMP) gene sequence and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analyses. The H. somni isolates formed nine MOMP genetic clades (clade Ia, Ib, and II-VIII) and 10 PFGE clusters (HS1-HS10). Except for two (1.0%), all isolates fell into one of the nine MOMP genetic clades, while 62 (31.0%) isolates belonged to no PFGE cluster. MOMP genetic clade Ia and PFGE cluster HS1 were the major groups, and all HS1 isolates possessed the clade Ia MOMP gene. Isolates from TEME cases were significantly associated with these major groups (chi-square test, p < 0.0001), as 88.2% of the TEME isolates belonged to MOMP genetic clade Ia and PFGE cluster HS1, which formed the most predominant clonal group. After an inactivated vaccine using an HS1 strain with the clade Ia MOMP gene was introduced in Japan in late 1989, the number of TEME cases and isolates assigned into the clonal group decreased simultaneously. However, the proportions of clade Ia and cluster HS1 isolates from TEME cases remained high after 1990. These results suggest a close association of TEME with PFGE cluster HS1 and MOMP genetic clade Ia, and imply the presence of factors or characteristics commonly possessed by those strains that contribute to the development of TEME.

Taxonomy of Histophilus somni

Histophilus somni was proposed in 2003 as a common name for bacteria that earlier had been called "Haemophilus somni", "Haemophilus agni", "Haemophilus somnifer", and "Histophilus ovis". The species is clearly separated from other species and genera within the family Pasteurellaceae. The species is phenotypically variable, but highly uniform regarding the 16S rDNA sequence. Whole-genome sequencing has revealed distinct genetic differences between a commensal and a pathogenic strain, particularly in regard to putative virulence factors. However, broad generalizations regarding the genetics of H. somni cannot be applied to the entire species until the genomes of additional strains are sequenced.

Development of a PCR test for identification of Haemophilus somnus in pure and mixed cultures

Based on the 16S rRNA sequences of a collection of well-characterized strains of Haemophilus somnus a set of primers was selected as candidates for a species-specific PCR test. All investigated H. somnus strains were found positive in the test, including 12 strains earlier found to represent H. somnus by DNA-DNA hybridization as well as representatives of the 16 ribotypes previously described within this species. The specificity of the test was evaluated on a broad collection of strains within the family Pasteurellaceae and on other Gram positive and negative species. None of these strains gave rise to an amplicon in the PCR test. The performance of the test on mixed cultures was evaluated by adding P. multocida to serial dilutions of H. somnus and incubating the agarplates for 1 and 2 days. This showed that the PCR test applied to the harvest from an agarplate can be expected to detect a single colony of H. somnus in the presence of 10(9) CFU of P. multocida even after 2 days of incubation. In conclusion, the present PCR test has been shown to represent a specific test for identification of H. somnus both in pure and mixed cultures. It represents a quick, sensitive and reliable method for identification of bacteria belonging to this phenotypically heterogeneous and often slow growing species.

Genomic fingerprinting of Haemophilus somnus by a combination of PCR methods

Twenty-three isolates of Haemophilus somnus were typed by repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) element-based PCR, enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-based PCR, and PCR ribotyping. A total of 11 types were distinguished by REP-PCR, 13 types were distinguished by ERIC-PCR, and 5 types were distinguished by PCR ribotyping. PCR ribotyping produced a relatively simple pattern and a small number of distinct types, whereas REP- and ERIC-PCR both produced more complex banding patterns but increased the discrimination between strains. Clearly distinguishable profiles were obtained for respiratory and genital isolates of H. somnus by all three typing methods. The results suggest that a combination of all three primer sets provides a high-resolution fingerprinting method for epidemiological studies of H. somnus and for its differentiation from related species.

Characterization of bovine Haemophilus somnus by biotyping, plasmid profiling, REA-patterns and ribotyping

A total of 105 strains of H. somnus isolated from cattle in Denmark and other countries during 1982-1991 were compared with regard to biotypes (fermentation of 8 different sugars), plasmid profiles, Taq1 restriction endonuclease analysis of chromosomal DNA (REA-typing) and EcoRI-generated DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms of rRNA genes (ribotyping). Eighty-four strains originating from cases of pneumonia, and 21 originating from the genitals of bulls were included in this study. Biotyping yielded 21 different types. Twenty-two of the isolates contained plasmids, and these were divided into 12 distinct plasmid profiles. Analysis of chromosomal DNA restriction patterns, resulted in 33 different REA patterns and 16 different ribopatterns in the investigated strains. Biotypes, REA-types, and ribotypes generally showed good correlation, whereas plasmid profiles did not correlate with any other typing method. Seventy-eight percent of all Danish isolates from pneumonia belonged to the same REA-, and ribotype, indicating a single clone. Furthermore, a single strain from semen belonged to this type, but generally strains isolated from the genital tract showed little homology to strains isolated from cases of pneumonia with regard to REA-, and ribotypes. The typing methods applied in the present investigation appeared to be useful indicators of epidemiological relatedness between H. somnus strains from cattle, and might be used for epidemiological investigations as well as for taxonomic studies of this species.

Genomic fingerprinting of "Haemophilus somnus" isolates by using a random-amplified polymorphic DNA assay

The random-amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay was used to generate DNA fingerprints for 16 isolates of "Haemophilus somnus," and one isolate each of "Haemophilus agni," "Histophilus ovis," "Actinobacillus seminis," Pasteurella haemolytica, and Escherichia coli. The RAPD assay differentiated among "H. somnus" isolates, which shared similarity coefficients of 0.46 to 1.00 on the basis of pairwise comparisons of RAPD markers produced with nine random decamer primers. Three virulent encephalitic "H. somnus" isolates exhibited identical banding patterns, suggesting a common clonal ancestry. The RAPD assay clearly distinguished between the "H. somnus"-"H. agni"-"H. ovis" group and the other bacterial species tested. The results of the present study suggest that DNA fingerprinting of "H. somnus" isolates by the RAPD assay could be valuable in revealing subspecific divisions within this largely unexplored species.

Purification and partial characterization of the major outer membrane protein of Haemophilus somnus

We purified the major outer membrane protein (MOMP), which is the most abundant OMP (with an apparent molecular mass of 40 kDa), from Haemophilus somnus strain 8025. The method involves solubilization of the MOMP with Zwittergent 3-14 and further purification accomplished by ion-exchange and molecular-sieve chromatographies. The amino-terminal sequence of the MOMP showed considerable similarity to those of porin proteins from other gram-negative bacteria. The MOMP of H. somnus is immunogenic to rabbits and calves. Hyperimmune sera from rabbits and calves reacted with both the MOMP and lipopolysaccharides in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblot analysis. The rabbit antiserum to the MOMP was cross-reactive with whole-cell preparations from strains 8025, D1238, NT2301, and 540 at a band with a molecular mass of 40 kDa in immunoblot analysis, although the reactivity of the rabbit antiserum with strain 540 was lower than those with the other strains tested. Two murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the MOMP were developed. ELISA with the OMP fractions as the antigens showed that one MAb was cross-reactive with the four strains but that the other MAb was reactive with the three strains other than strain 540. These results indicate that the MOMP of H. somnus possesses at least two antigenic determinants and that the MOMP of strain 540 is antigenically different from those of the other strains. The antigenic heterogeneity of the H. somnus MOMP has implications regarding the development of a serotyping system with MAbs that is based on the MOMP epitopes.