The ail gene is present in some Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 1A strains.
One chromosomal virulence marker of Yersinia is the gene ail, which encodes Ail, an outer membrane protein that promotes attachment and invasion. A high correlation has been found between the ail gene and the virulence of Yersinia. Here, we report two Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 1A strains that are usually nonpathogenic and carry the ail gene. The ail gene sequences of biotype 1A strains displayed similarity to the bioserotype 1B/O:8 strain 8081. The finding suggests that ail-based detection methods for Y. enterocolitica alone are insufficient to detect real pathogenic strains.
Bacteriology Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland. leila.sihvonen@thl.fi
Leila M
LM
Sihvonen
Saija
S
Hallanvuo
Kaisa
K
Haukka
Mikael
M
Skurnik
Anja
A
Siitonen
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity
C069712:Ail protein, Yersinia enterocolitica; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S