The expression pattern of the genes was evaluated along with their respective contributions to Y. pestis virulence using mouse models of bubonic and pneumonic plague.
To test the contribution of SurE, Pcm, NlpD and RpoS to Y. pestis pathogenesis, we evaluated the virulence of Kimberley53-deletion mutants in mouse models of bubonic plague (s.c. infection) and pneumonic plague (intranasal infection).
On the other hand, to assess the animal models of bubonic plague, pathological characteristics during bubonic infection have been investigated in mice [6], cats [7] and guinea pigs [3].
Moreover, in this work, we found that both genes in the dapAX operon contributed to virulence of Y. pestis in mouse models of bubonic and septicemic plague, thereby reducing the potential for spontaneous reversion of virulence.
In the present study, we have further characterized the Y. pestis pcm locus genes and analyzed their expression and involvement in the pathogenesis of Y. pestis using mouse models of bubonic and pneumonic plague.
The dapAX mutation rendered Y. pestis avirulent in mouse models of bubonic and septicemic plague which could be complemented when dapAX was inserted in single or multi-copy, restoring development of disease that was indistinguishable from the wild type parent strain.
