title: Leptospira interrogans requires heme oxygenase for disease pathogenesis.
abstract: We recently characterised the Leptospira interrogans heme oxygenase (hemO) gene and showed that HemO was required for growth with hemoglobin as the sole iron source. Here we investigated the role of HemO in pathogenesis. Hamsters inoculated with the hemO mutant showed 83% survival, compared with 33% for a control mutant (intergenic transposon insertion). Lung pathology was consistent with survival data, showing that HemO contributes significantly to pathogenesis and heme is a major in vivo iron source for L. interrogans. This is only the second defined, attenuated mutant in pathogenic Leptospira and the first to define function of the mutated gene.
authors.affiliation: Australian Bacterial Pathogenesis Program, Department of Microbiology, Monash University, VIC 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Gerald L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Amporn
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Srikram
authors.forename: Rebekah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.forename: Anucha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Puapairoj
authors.forename: Rasana W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Sermswan
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Adler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D005260:Female; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D006418:Heme / Q000378:metabolism; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / Q000378:metabolism*; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D007921:Leptospira interrogans / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D016019:Survival Analysis; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D037521:Virulence Factors; D006418:Heme; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing)