title: Chlamydia psittaci comparative genomics reveals intraspecies variations in the putative outer membrane and type III secretion system genes.
abstract: Chlamydia psittaci is an obligate intracellular bacterium that can cause significant disease among a broad range of hosts. In humans, this organism may cause psittacosis, a respiratory disease that can spread to involve multiple organs, and in rare untreated cases may be fatal. There are ten known genotypes based on sequencing the major outer-membrane protein gene, ompA, of C. psittaci. Each genotype has overlapping host preferences and virulence characteristics. Recent studies have compared C. psittaci among other members of the Chlamydiaceae family and showed that this species frequently switches hosts and has undergone multiple genomic rearrangements. In this study, we sequenced five genomes of C. psittaci strains representing four genotypes, A, B, D and E. Due to the known association of the type III secretion system (T3SS) and polymorphic outer-membrane proteins (Pmps) with host tropism and virulence potential, we performed a comparative analysis of these elements among these five strains along with a representative genome from each of the remaining six genotypes previously sequenced. We found significant genetic variation in the Pmps and tbl3SS genes that may partially explain differences noted in C. psittaci host infection and disease.
authors.affiliation: 1​Infectious Diseases Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA 2​Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Bernard J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.affiliation: 2​Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Shatavia S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.affiliation: 1​Infectious Diseases Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pesti
authors.affiliation: 3​The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Satishkumar Ranganathan
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Ganakammal
authors.affiliation: 3​The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Ganesh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Srinivasamoorthy
authors.affiliation: 3​The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Shankar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Changayil
authors.affiliation: 3​The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: M Ryan
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Weil
authors.affiliation: 3​The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Duncan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: MacCannell
authors.affiliation: 3​The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.affiliation: 3​The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frace
authors.affiliation: 1​Infectious Diseases Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Branson W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Ritchie
authors.affiliation: 4​Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA 5​UCSF and UC Berkeley Joint Graduate Program in Bioengineering, Oakland, CA.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.affiliation: 2​Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Jonas M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Winchell
mesh_terms: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002691:Chlamydophila psittaci / Q000235:genetics*; D019295:Computational Biology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D000069296:Type III Secretion Systems / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D000069296:Type III Secretion Systems