pertussis and B. parapertussis (Ensminger, 1953; Heininger et al., 2002). That pigment production correlated Selleck RG7422 with species identity was confirmed by PCR analysis (on 10 pigmented and 10 nonpigmented colonies from a plate with colonies recovered from a mixed infection) using primers from the IS481 sequence for B. pertussis and

from the IS1001 sequence for B. parapertussis (Roorda et al., 2011). All animal experiments conformed to all relevant federal guidelines and institutional policies. Six-week-old female Balb/c mice (Charles River Laboratories) were inoculated intranasally with bacterial suspensions prepared as follows: bacterial strains were plated from a frozen culture on BG blood agar plates, incubated for 3 days for B. pertussis and 2 days for B. parapertussis at 37 °C, and bacterial growth was then transferred

to new plates and allowed to grow for an additional 2 days. Bacterial strains were resuspended and appropriate dilutions were made in sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Mice were anesthetized by inhalation of isoflurane (Baxter) and inoculated intranasally with 50 μL of inoculum. Viable counts were determined by dilution of a sample of the inoculum, which was then plated on BG blood agar plates, and colonies were counted 4–5 days later. Mice (minimum of four per group) were euthanized by carbon dioxide inhalation at defined time points; the lungs and trachea were removed as a unit and homogenized in 2 mL of sterile Small molecule library research buy PBS. Appropriate dilutions of the homogenate were plated on BG blood agar plates and colonies were counted after 4 days of incubation at 37 °C to determine CFU per respiratory

tract. One hundred colonies per mouse were patched onto BG blood agar plates for the determination of pigment production to distinguish between B. pertussis and B. parapertussis and to calculate the ratio of the two organisms in the mixture. All experiments were performed at least twice, with representative results shown. PT was purified from B. pertussis liquid culture supernatants using the fetuin–agarose affinity chromatography method (Kimura Arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase et al., 1990), dialyzed against PBS and the concentration of the toxin was determined by a BCA assay and stored at −80 °C until required. Mice were anesthetized and inoculated intranasally with 50 μL containing 100 ng PT. Control mice were inoculated with 50 μL of sterile PBS. Mice were first euthanized by inhalation of carbon dioxide and the trachea and lungs were exposed by dissection. A small hole was cut in the top of the trachea and a 20-G blunt-ended needle was introduced; this was tied in place with surgical thread to prevent the needle from moving upon introduction of fluid. The lungs were flushed twice with 0.7 mL of sterile PBS; this was repeated to yield a total of 1.4 mL of BAL fluid.