We investigated the susceptibility of virulent and avirulent strains of Haemophilus ducreyi to the bactericidal activity of normal human serum and to phagocytosis and killing by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL). Strains were defined as virulent if intradermal inoculation into a rabbit produced a typical necrotic lesion. Nonvirulent strains produced no cutaneous lesions in rabbits. Viru...

Superantigens are important virulence factors in the pathogenesis of invasive disease caused by group A streptococcus (GAS). There has been a recent re-emergence of this disease worldwide. A number of novel superantigens have been described recently. This study investigated 107 isolates of GAS for possession of each of the 11 currently known superantigen genes to determine the prevalence, co-oc...

Understanding the processes that shaped contemporary pathogen populations in agricultural landscapes is quite important to define appropriate management strategies and to support crop improvement efforts. Here, we took advantage of an historical record to examine the adaptation pathway of the rice pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) in a semi-isolated environment represented in the Phi...

Specific Escherichia coli strains associated with bovine postpartum uterine infection have recently been described. Many recognized virulence factors are absent in these strains; therefore, to define a prototypic strain, we report here the genome sequence of E. coli isolate MS499 from a cow with the postpartum disease metritis.