Construction and virulence of a Pasteurella multocida fhaB2 mutant in turkeys

Pasteurella multocida is the causative agent of fowl cholera. The organism can occur as a commensally in the naso-pharyngeal region of apparently healthy animals and it can be a primary or secondary pathogen in the disease process of birds. The complete genome of an avian strain of P. multocida has been sequenced and was shown to possess two filamentous hemagglutinin genes designated fhaB1 and fhaB2. Filamentous hemagglutinin transposon mutants of a bovine strain of P. multocida are attenuated in mice. Here, we report the construction of an fhaB2 P. multocida mutant in an avian strain P-1059 (A:3). The fhaB2 mutant and the parent were assessed for virulence in turkeys by intranasal and intravenous challenge. Inactivation of fhaB2 resulted in a high degree of attenuation when turkeys were challenged intranasally and to a lesser degree when intravenously administered. Resistance of the fhaB2 mutant and parent strain to killing by serum complement was similar.