Molecular characterization of Haemophilus parasuis ferric hydroxamate uptake (fhu) genes and constitutive expression of the FhuA receptor.

Bacteria have evolved a set of highly specialized proteins to capture iron in iron-depleted environments. The acquisition and uptake of iron present in the extracellular milieu of eukaryotic organisms is indispensable for the growth and survival of microbial pathogens in the course of infection. Haemophilus parasuis is the causative agent of Glässer disease, which is responsible for considerable financial losses in pig-rearing worldwide.