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H. parasuis is a respiratory commensal in healthy piglets, but can also produce invasive disease and meningitis, which requires the ability to cross the blood–brain barrier.
The present study determined the capacity of well-characterised virulent and non-virulent strains of H. parasuis, as well as other field strains, to adhere to and invade PBMEC/C1-2 endothelial cells.
Conclusions obtained are:
* Virulent strains were isolated from systemic lesions, conformed to the systemic clade on multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and were phagocytosis- and serum-resistanti.
* Non-virulent strains were isolated from the nostrils of healthy piglets, belonged to the nasal clade on MLST and were phagocytosis- and serum-sensitive.
* Virulent strains were mostly more invasive than non-virulent strains, although one virulent strain was unable to invade. Invasion of endothelial cells is a virulence mechanism of H. parasuis that may be related to the ability of some strains to cause meningitis.
Aragon V, Bouchet B, Gottschalk M. Invasion of endothelial cells by systemic and nasal strains of Haemophilus parasuis. CReSA. Spain.
