Dispensability of Ascorbic Acid Uptake and Utilization Encoded by ulaABCD for the Virulence of Haemophilus ducreyi in Humans.

Julie A Brothwell, Kate R Fortney, Teresa Batteiger, Barry P Katz, Stanley M Spinola

Journal: The Journal of infectious diseases 2023;227(3):317-321

PMID: 35876728

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Abstract

Compared with wounded skin, ascorbic acid is enriched in pustules of humans experimentally infected with Haemophilus ducreyi. Compared with the broth-grown inocula, transcription of the H. ducreyi ulaABCD operon, which encodes genes for ascorbic acid uptake, is increased in pustules. We hypothesized that ascorbic acid uptake plays a role in H. ducreyi virulence. Five volunteers were infected with both H. ducreyi strain 35000HP and its isogenic ulaABCD deletion mutant at multiple sites; the papule and pustule formation rates of the mutant and parent strains were similar. Thus, ascorbic acid uptake is not essential for H. ducreyi virulence in humans.

Address: Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.; Department of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.; Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac314

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MeSH Terms: Humans, Haemophilus ducreyi, Virulence, Chancroid, Ascorbic Acid, Operon