Swine model of Haemophilus ducreyi infection

Abstract

Haemophilus ducreyi is a strict human pathogen that causes sexually transmitted genital ulcer disease. We infected domestic swine with H. ducreyi 35000, resulting in the development of cutaneous ulcers histologically resembling human chancroid lesions. Intraepidermal lesions progressed from pustules to ulcers containing polymorphonuclear leukocytes and were accompanied by a dermal inflammatory infiltrate containing T cells and macrophages. H. ducreyi was recovered from lesions up to 17 days after inoculation, and pigs did not develop immunity to reinfection with the challenge strain. Features of the model include inoculation through abrasions in the epidermis, ambient housing temperatures for infected pigs, the ability to deliver multiple different inocula to a single host, and the availability of monoclonal antibodies against porcine immune cells permitting immunohistochemical characterization of the host immune response to H. ducreyi infection.