Outer membrane protein profiles of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae

Outer membrane protein profiles of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae were examined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Cells were disrupted by sonication, and outer membrane-enriched fractions were prepared by differential centrifugation and selective solubilization of the inner membrane with sodium N-lauroyl sarcosinate. Colony type, growth medium, time of harvest, and in vitro or in vivo passage had no appreciable effect on the protein profiles of the strains examined. Seven patterns were distinguished among the reference strains of the nine capsular serotypes. These patterns were based on the mobility of the major outer membrane proteins migrating in the 39,000- to 44,000-molecular-weight region of the gel, a 16K to 16.5K protein, and a heat-modifiable 29K protein. Strains of serotypes 1 and 9 had identical outer membrane protein profiles, as did strains of serotypes 2 and 6. The reference strains of the remaining five serotypes each had a distinct pattern. The outer membrane protein profiles of 95 field isolates belonging to serotypes 1, 5, 7, and 9 from swine in the midwestern United States were determined and compared with the reference patterns. The results indicate that the population of H. pleuropneumoniae is clonal, with three predominant clones distinguished by both serotype and outer membrane protein profile responsible for the majority of H. pleuropneumoniae disease occurring in swine in the United States.