Although a putative siderophore transport system was identified in NTHi strain R2846, no genes with significant FRAX597 ic50 homology to known siderophore biosynthetic genes were detected in the R2846 genomic sequence. The expression of receptor proteins that recognize siderophores produced by other microorganisms (termed xenosiderophores) is a well established characteristic of many bacterial species. These include members of the Pasteurellaceae, as well as most enteric species, Bordetella species, Pseudomonads and the mycobacteria [24, 36–41]. Possession of a system(s) allowing utilization of xenosiderophores may be of benefit to NTHi
strains in the complex polymicrobial environment of the human nasopharynx that this organism colonizes. Species distribution of the fhu genes Since an apparent siderophore uptake associated locus was detected in the genomic sequence of NTHi strain R2846 further analyses JSH-23 research buy were performed to determine how widely this locus is distributed within the species. Initially Blast searches were performed against fourteen NTHi genomic sequences (four complete, eleven in process of assembly) available at the National Center for Biotechnology Information [42], as well as three H. influenzae genomic sequences available at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute [43]. Of these seventeen total genomic sequences, five contained a locus
homologous to the fhu locus of strain R2846 (Table 1). The five strains containing a fhu gene cluster were all nontypeable strains and were isolated from various niches; Ureohydrolase the six total strains identified as possessing the fhu locus were respectively isolated from: 1) a middle ear effusion from a child with acute otitis media (strain R2846), 2) middle ear effusions from children with chronic
otitis media (both strains PittEE and PittHH), 3) the nasopharynx of healthy children (both strains 22.4-21 and R3021) and 4) an adult with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (strain 7P49H1). The fhu negative strains also contained examples of strains associated with each of the above listed disease states/niches. In addition the fhu negative strains include a single strain isolated from the external ear canal of a child with otorrhea (PittGG), a nontypeable strain isolated from the blood of a patient with meninigitis (R2866), a tybe b strain isolated from a patient with meningitis (strain 10810) and two isolates of H. influenzae biogroup aegyptius associated with an invasive infection termed TSA HDAC Brazilian purpuric fever [44]. No correlation between disease state/niche and presence of the fhu genes was evident. Table 1 Presence of fhu genes in sequenced H. influenzae strains Strain Sourcea Typeb GenBank Accession No.c fhu locusd Rd KW20 – nt L42023.1 No 86-028NP NP AOM nt CP000057.2 No PittEE MEE COM nt CP000671.1 Yes PittGG Ext. Ear Ott. nt CP000672.1 No 22.