Generation And Evaluation Of A Glaesserella (Haemophilus) Parasuis Capsular Mutant

Glaesserella (Haemophilus) parasuis is a commensal bacterium of the upper respiratory tract in pigs and also the causative agent of Glasser's disease, which causes significant morbidity and mortality in pigs worldwide. Isolates are characterized into 15 serovars by their capsular polysaccharide, which has shown a correlation with isolate pathogenicity. To investigate the role the capsule plays in G. parasuis virulence and host interaction, a capsule mutant of the serovar 5 strain HS069 was generated (HS069 Delta cap) through allelic exchange following natural transformation. HS069 Delta cap was unable to cause signs of systemic disease during a pig challenge study and had increased sensitivity to complement killing and phagocytosis by alveolar macrophages. Compared with the parent strain, HS069 Delta cap produced more robust biofilm and adhered equivalently to 3D4/31 cells; however, it was unable to persistently colonize the nasal cavity of inoculated pigs, with all pigs clearing HS069 Delta cap by 5 days postchallenge. Our results indicate the importance of the capsular polysaccharide to G. parasuis virulence as well as nasal colonization in pigs.