Sporadic invasion of cultured epithelial cells by Haemophilus influenzae type b.

While working with an in vitro invasion assay, we observed that Haemophilus influenzae type b occasionally exhibits highly invasive behavior. The phenomenon is not inhibited by colchicine or cytochalasin but is dependent on the presence of supplemental CO2. We propose that sporadic invasiveness may correlate with the unknown events that precede Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteremia.