SWINE MODEL OF HAEMOPHILUS-DUCREYI INFECTION

Haemophilus ducreyi is a strict human pathogen that causes sexually tr ansmitted genital ulcer disease. We infected domestic swine with H. du creyi 35000, resulting in the development of cutaneous ulcers histolog ically resembling human chancroid lesions. Intraepidermal lesions prog ressed from pustules to ulcers containing polymorphonuclear leukocytes and were accompanied by a dermal inflammatory infiltrate containing T cells and macrophages. A. ducreyi was recovered from lesions up to 17 days after inoculation, and pigs did not develop immunity to reinfect ion with the challenge strain. Features of the model include inoculati on through abrasions in the epidermis, ambient housing temperatures fo r infected pigs, the ability to deliver multiple different inocula to a single host, and the availability of monoclonal antibodies against p orcine immune cells permitting immunohistochemical characterization of the host immune response to H. ducreyi infection.