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Infection and Immunity, April 1999, p. 1750-1756, Vol. 67, No. 4
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Identification and Characterization of the cps Locus of Streptococcus suis Serotype 2: the Capsule Protects against Phagocytosis and Is an Important Virulence Factor

Hilde E. Smith,1,* Marloes Damman,1 Joeke van der Velde,1 Frans Wagenaar,2 Henk J. Wisselink,1 Norbert Stockhofe-Zurwieden,2 and Mari A. Smits1

Department of Bacteriology1 and Department of Immunology, Pathobiology and Epidemiology,2 DLO-Institute for Animal Science and Health, 8200 AB Lelystad, The Netherlands

Received 12 November 1998/Returned for modification 22 December 1998/Accepted 19 January 1999

To study the role of the capsule of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 in virulence, we generated two isogenic mutants disturbed in capsule production. For that purpose, we first cloned and characterized a major part of the capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis (cps) locus of S. suis serotype 2. Based on the established sequence, 14 open reading frames (ORFs), designated Orf2Z, Orf2Y, Orf2X, and Cps2A to Cps2K, were identified. Twelve ORFs belonged to a single transcriptional unit. The gene products of 11 of these ORFs showed similarity to proteins involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis of other gram-positive microorganisms. Nonencapsulated isogenic mutants were generated in the cps2B and cps2EF genes by insertional mutagenesis. In contrast to the wild-type S. suis serotype 2 strain, the nonencapsulated strains were highly sensitive to ingestion by porcine alveolar lung macrophages in vitro. More importantly, the nonencapsulated mutant strains were completely avirulent in young germfree pigs after intranasal inoculation. These observations indicate that the capsule of S. suis serotype 2 plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of S. suis serotype 2 infections.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Bacteriology, DLO-Institute for Animal Science and Health, P.O. Box 65, 8200 AB Lelystad, The Netherlands. Phone: 31 320 238270. Fax: 31 320 238153. E-mail: h.e.smith{at}id.dlo.nl.

Infection and Immunity, April 1999, p. 1750-1756, Vol. 67, No. 4
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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