Morphologic features, structure, and adherence to bovine turbinate cells of three haemophilus somnus variants
Ward, G.E.; Nivard, J.R.; Maheswaran, S.K.
American Journal of Veterinary Research 45(2): 336-338
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9645 PMID: 6711957 Document Number: 223626
Three colony variants (translucent, small opaque, and large opaque) of H. somnus recovered during infection studies of chick embryos were examined using electron microscopy. Ruthenium red-stained H. somnus preparations revealed no capsule in any variants. Pili were not seen on phosphotungstate-negative stained preparations. The translucent variant was thin-walled and had an irregular, pleomorphic rod shape. The small opaque variant had a thicker cell wall and an even rod shape. The large opaque variant had the thickest, most rigid wall of the 3, with uniform rod morphological features. When each of the 3 variants was allowed to contact bovine epithelial turbinate cells, the translucent and small opaque were significantly more adherent than was the large opaque variant.