The Dependence of the Yersinia pestis Capsule on Pathogenesis Is Influenced by the Mouse Background

Abstract

ABSTRACT Yersinia pestis is a highly pathogenic Gram-negative organism and the causative agent of bubonic and pneumonic plague. Y . pestis is capable of causing major epidemics; thus, there is a need for vaccine targets and a greater understanding of the role of these targets in pathogenesis. Two prime Y . pestis vaccine candidates are the usher-chaperone fimbriae Psa and Caf. Herein we report that Y . pestis requires, in a nonredundant manner, both PsaA and Caf1 to achieve its full pathogenic ability in both pneumonic and bubonic plague in C57BL/6J mice. Deletion of psaA leads to a decrease in the organ bacterial burden and to a significant increase in the 50% lethal dose (LD 50 ) after subcutaneous infection. Deletion of caf1 also leads to a significant decrease in the organ bacterial burden but more importantly leads to a significantly greater increase in the LD 50 than was observed for the Δ psaA mutant strain after subcutaneous infection of C57BL/6J mice. Furthermore, the degree of attenuation of the Δ caf1 mutant strain is mouse background dependent, as the Δ caf1 mutant strain was attenuated to a lesser degree in BALB/cJ mice by the subcutaneous route than in C57BL/6J mice. This observation that the degree of requirement for Caf1 is dependent on the mouse background indicates that the virulence of Y . pestis is dependent on the genetic makeup of its host and provides further support for the hypothesis that PsaA and Caf1 have different targets.