The gene encoding an outer membrane lipoprotein (OmlA) of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae strain WF83 (serotype 7 reference strain), designated omlA U , was sequenced. The amino acid sequence of OmlA U showed 64.5 and 71.6% identity to that of OmlA from serotypes 1 (OmlA I ) and 5 (OmlA S ), respectively. The first 134 amino acids of OmlA U were identical to those of OmlA S . A Southern blot analysis revealed the presence of a gene highly homologous to the omlA U in the reference strains of serotypes 3, 4, 6, and 7. A Western blot analysis using a specific antiserum against a recombinant OmlA U detected expression of the homologous proteins in the serotypes 4, 6, and 7 reference strains and a serotype 3 field strain, but not in a serotype 3 reference strain. The data demonstrate the third antigenically distinct OmlA is expressed in A. pleuropneumoniae. z 1998 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.