Conversion of Bordetella pertussis to Bordetella parapertussis.
The epidemiological and drug susceptibility data on whooping cough suggested a possibility that Bordetella pertussis converts in some way to Bordetella parapertussis. To prove this, B. pertussis strain 75 was treated with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and a mutant resistant to staphcillin v and eight mutants resistant to trimethoprim were isolated. The staphcillin V-resistant mutant of B. pertussis agreed with all of the criteria of B. parapertussis and the trimethoprim-resistant mutants also agreed with many of these criteria. Thus, a hypothesis is presented that B. parapertussis is a mutant of B. pertussis which appeared in nature probably by a selective pressure of antibiotics.
D000818:Animals; D001884:Bordetella / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D001886:Bordetella pertussis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008712:Methicillin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008769:Methylnitronitrosoguanidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D011815:R Factors / Q000187:drug effects; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D014295:Trimethoprim / Q000494:pharmacology
D008769:Methylnitronitrosoguanidine; D014295:Trimethoprim; D008712:Methicillin