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Infection and Immunity, April 1999, p. 1723-1728, Vol. 67, No. 4
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

An Arcanobacterium (Actinomyces) pyogenes Mutant Deficient in Production of the Pore-Forming Cytolysin Pyolysin Has Reduced Virulence

B. H. Jost,* J. G. Songer, and S. J. Billington

Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721

Received 18 November 1998/Returned for modification 4 January 1999/Accepted 14 January 1999

Pyolysin (PLO), the hemolytic exotoxin expressed by Arcanobacterium (Actinomyces) pyogenes, is a member of the thiol-activated cytolysin family of bacterial toxins. Insertional inactivation of the plo gene results in loss of expression of PLO with a concomitant loss in hemolytic activity. The plo mutant, PLO-1, has an approximately 1.8-log10 reduction in the 50% infectious dose compared to that for wild-type A. pyogenes in a mouse intraperitoneal infection model. Studies involving cochallenge of wild-type and PLO-1 bacteria resulted in recovery of similar numbers of both strains, suggesting that PLO production is required for survival in vivo. Recombinant, His-tagged PLO (His-PLO) is cytotoxic for mouse peritoneal macrophages and J774 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Protection against challenge with A. pyogenes could be afforded by vaccination with formalin-inactivated His-PLO, suggesting that PLO is a host-protective antigen, as well as a virulence determinant.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, The University of Arizona, 1117 East Lowell St., Tucson, AZ 85721. Phone: (520) 621-2745. Fax: (520) 621-6366. E-mail: jost{at}u.arizona.edu.


Infection and Immunity, April 1999, p. 1723-1728, Vol. 67, No. 4
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

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