Ability of Pasteurella canis isolated from host animals and human patients in Japan to invade human keratinocytes: associations between cell invasion ability and host or genotypic traits

We examined human keratinocyte cell invasion ability (CIA) of Pasteurella canis from 17 animals and 13 humans with relationships between CIA and host/genotypic traits. We designated CIA higher than isolate mean as high-frequency and that lower than mean as low-frequency. Repetitive element-based fingerprinting dendrograms were constructed; virulence-associated genes were clustered in phylogenetic trees. High-frequency CIA was observed in 9 isolates; low-frequency CIA in 21. No relationships were observed between high-frequency CIA and host/source. Dendrograms showed no associations between high-frequency CIA/host and different clades (A-1/-2; B-1/-2/-3). Trees with ptfA-ompA alleles showed no associations between high-frequency CIA/host and different clusters (1/2; 1/2/3). Our observations suggest CIA assessment feasibility without relationships between high-frequency CIA and host/genotypic traits.