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J Med Microbiol 56 (2007), 1512-1518; DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.47330-0
© 2007 Society for General Microbiology
ISSN 1473-5644

Molecular typing divides marine mammal strains of Brucella into at least three groups with distinct host preferences

Pauline Groussaud, Stephen J. Shankster, Mark S. Koylass and Adrian M. Whatmore

Department of Statutory and Exotic Bacterial Diseases, Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK

Correspondence
Adrian M. Whatmore
a.whatmore{at}vla.defra.gsi.gov.uk

Received 4 April 2007
Accepted 20 July 2007

In order to investigate the genetic relationships within Brucella isolated from marine mammals, two genome-based typing methods, variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) typing and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA), were applied to a selection of 74 marine mammal isolates. All isolates were examined by VNTR and data were compared with multilocus sequencing data from a subset of 48 of these. Marine mammal brucellae are distinct from classically recognized species by these methods and appear to correspond to three major genetic groups, which reflect distinct preferred hosts. One group contains isolates predominantly found in pinnipeds (seals) and corresponds to the previously proposed species ‘Brucella pinnipediae’. However, isolates corresponding to the previously proposed species ‘Brucella cetaceae’ fall into two distinct groups that appear to have different preferred cetacean hosts (porpoises and dolphins). Furthermore, these two groups appear less closely related to each other than either group is to ‘B. pinnipediae’ isolates. The groups identified by VNTR typing and MLSA are completely congruent. The relevance of these findings to current proposals to recognize two species of marine mammal Brucella is discussed.

Abbreviations: IRS-PCR, infrequent restriction site PCR; MLSA, multilocus sequence analysis; SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism; ST, sequence type; VNTR, variable number of tandem repeats.

A table showing the VNTR typing profiles of the 74 isolates described in this study is available as supplementary data with the online version of this paper.




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 Appl. Environ. Microbiol.Home page
J. C. Scott, M. S. Koylass, M. R. Stubberfield, and A. M. Whatmore
Multiplex Assay Based on Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms for Rapid Identification of Brucella Isolates at the Species Level
Appl. Envir. Microbiol., November 15, 2007; 73(22): 7331 - 7337.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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