Genes involved in Haemophilus influenzae type b capsule expression are part of an 18-kilobase tandem duplication.

Encapsulated Haemophilus influenzae type b produce nonencapsulated variants at high frequency (0.1-0.3%). Cosmid cloning was used to investigate the genetic mechanism responsible for this instability. Analysis of three independently derived cosmid clones showed that the b+ parental strain contains an 18-kilobase tandem duplication of genes involved in type b capsule expression. Loss of one complete copy of the 18-kilobase tandem duplication occurred following transformation of the cosmid clones into Rec+, but not Rec-, Escherichia coli, and in H. influenzae strains that had spontaneously lost capsule expression. These results suggest that high-frequency loss of type b capsule expression is due to rec-dependent recombination between the two copies of the 18-kilobase tandem repeat. This is further supported by our finding that introduction of the H. influenzae rec-1 mutation stabilized type b capsule expression.