This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Gousset, N.
Right arrow Articles by Quentin, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Gousset, N.
Right arrow Articles by Quentin, R.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, January 1999, p. 8-15, Vol. 67, No. 1
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Nucleotide Sequences of Genes Coding for Fimbrial Proteins in a Cryptic Genospecies of Haemophilus spp. Isolated from Neonatal and Genital Tract Infections

Nathalie Gousset,1 Agnes Rosenau,1 Pierre-Yves Sizaret,2 and Roland Quentin1,*

Département de Microbiologie Médicale et Moléculaire, Unité de Bactériologie, Faculté de Médecine,1 and Unité de Microscopie Electronique,2 Université François Rabelais, Tours, France

Received 5 August 1998/Returned for modification 9 September 1998/Accepted 9 October 1998

Nineteen isolates belonging to a cryptic genospecies of Haemophilus (referred to here as genital strains) isolated from genital tract infections (6 strains) and from neonatal infections (13 strains) were studied for fimbrial genes. Sixteen strains exhibit peritrichous fimbriae observed by electron microscopy. By PCR with primers corresponding to the extreme ends of the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) hifA and hifD genes and Southern blotting, a hifA-like gene (named ghfA) and a hifD-like gene (named ghfD) were identified in 6 of the 19 strains. Five of these six strains were from the genital tracts of adults, and one was from a neonate. For each gene, the nucleotide sequence was identical for the six strains. A hifE-like gene (named ghfE) was amplified from only one of the 19 genital strains of Haemophilus, but the ghfE probe gave a signal in Southern hybridization with the five other strains positive for ghfA and ghfD. Therefore, these strains may carry a ghfE-like gene. The Hib fimbrial gene cluster is located between the purE and pepN genes as previously described. For the 13 genital Haemophilus strains that lack fimbrial genes, this region corresponds to a noncoding sequence. Another major fimbrial gene designated the fimbrin gene was previously identified in a nontypeable H. influenzae strain. A fimbrin-like gene was identified for all of our 19 genital strains. This gene is similar to the ompP5 gene of many Haemophilus strains. Therefore, other, unidentified genes may explain the piliation observed in electron microscopy on genital Haemophilus strains which do not possess LKP-like fimbrial genes. Fimbrial genes were significantly associated with strains isolated from the genital tract. They may confer on the strain the ability to survive in the genital tract.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Département de Microbiologie Médicale et Moléculaire, CHRU Bretonneau, 2 Bd Tonnellé, 37044 Tours Cedex, France. Phone: (33) 2 47 47 80 56. Fax: (33) 2 47 47 38 12. E-mail: quentin{at}pop.med.univ-tours.fr.

Infection and Immunity, January 1999, p. 8-15, Vol. 67, No. 1
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Norskov-Lauritsen, N., Overballe, M. D., Kilian, M. (2009). Delineation of the Species Haemophilus influenzae by Phenotype, Multilocus Sequence Phylogeny, and Detection of Marker Genes. J. Bacteriol. 191: 822-831 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sheets, A. J., Grass, S. A., Miller, S. E., St. Geme, J. W. III (2008). Identification of a Novel Trimeric Autotransporter Adhesin in the Cryptic Genospecies of Haemophilus. J. Bacteriol. 190: 4313-4320 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nuccio, S.-P., Baumler, A. J. (2007). Evolution of the Chaperone/Usher Assembly Pathway: Fimbrial Classification Goes Greek. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 71: 551-575 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mak, G. C., Ho, P. L., Tse, C. W. S., Lau, S. K. P., Wong, S. S. Y. (2005). Reduced Levofloxacin Susceptibility and Tetracycline Resistance in a Clinical Isolate of Haemophilus quentini Identified by 16S rRNA Sequencing. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43: 5391-5392 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hery-Arnaud, G., Bruant, G., Lanotte, P., Brun, S., Rosenau, A., van der Mee-Marquet, N., Quentin, R., Mereghetti, L. (2005). Acquisition of Insertion Sequences and the GBSi1 Intron by Streptococcus agalactiae Isolates Correlates with the Evolution of the Species. J. Bacteriol. 187: 6248-6252 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bruant, G., Gousset, N., Quentin, R., Rosenau, A. (2002). Fimbrial ghf Gene Cluster of Genital Strains of Haemophilus spp.. Infect. Immun. 70: 5438-5445 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Clemans, D. L., Marrs, C. F., Bauer, R. J., Patel, M., Gilsdorf, J. R. (2001). Analysis of Pilus Adhesins from Haemophilus influenzae Biotype IV Strains. Infect. Immun. 69: 7010-7019 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mereghetti, L., Quentin, R., Marquet-Van Der Mee, N., Audurier, A. (2000). Low Sensitivity of Listeria monocytogenes to Quaternary Ammonium Compounds. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 5083-5086 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Novotny, L. A., Jurcisek, J. A., Pichichero, M. E., Bakaletz, L. O. (2000). Epitope Mapping of the Outer Membrane Protein P5-Homologous Fimbrin Adhesin of Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae. Infect. Immun. 68: 2119-2128 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»