Differences in Host Susceptibility to Disease Progression in the Human Challenge Model of<i>Haemophilus ducreyi</i>Infection

Abstract

With human volunteers inoculated at two sites with Haemophilus ducreyi, outcomes for a subject were not independent. In a reinfection trial, 2 of 11 previous pustule formers and 6 of 10 previous resolvers resolved all sites of infection. There was no correlation between serum bactericidal or phagocytic activity and outcome in the trial. These data indicate that different hosts are differentially susceptible to disease progression versus resolution in the model.