Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Has Evolved Preferential Use of N- Acetylneuraminic Acid as a Host Adaptation

Host-adapted bacterial pathogens such as NTHi cannot survive out of their host environment and have evolved host-specific mechanisms to obtain nutrients and evade the immune response. Relatively few of these host adaptations have been characterized at the molecular level. NTHi utilizes sialic acid as a nutrient and also incorporates this sugar into LOS, which is important in biofilm formation and immune evasion. In the present study, we showed...