Cytotoxin (leukotoxin) production by Pasteurella haemolytica: requirement for an iron-containing compound

In studies of Pasteurella haemolytica type 1 cytotoxin, filter-sterilized culture supernatants from organisms grown in RPMI-1640 tissue culture medium generally have been used. Supplementation of the medium with 7% bovine fetal serum was shown to be necessary for maximal cytotoxin production, as measured by percentage of bovine peripheral blood leukocytes that were killed. The serum-induced increase in cytotoxicity could not be explained simply by a greater percentage of increase in the number of viable organisms produced in the enriched medium. There also was no correlation between encapsulation of the organisms and cytotoxin production. Several natural iron-containing proteins including transferrin, lactoferrin, conalbumin, and hemoglobin stimulated cytotoxin production in lieu of bovine fetal serum, leading to the conclusion that one function of serum supplementation may be to increase the medium's iron concentration. A number of additional iron-containing and iron-chelating compounds were tested, with the conclusion that the iron concentration of the growth medium, as well as the presence of a suitable carrier molecule, may be critical for efficient cytotoxin production by P haemolytica.