Genome rearrangements, deletions, and amplifications in the natural population of Bartonella henselae.

ABSTRACT: Cats are the natural host for Bartonella henselae, an opportunistic human pathogen and the agent of cat scratch disease. Here, we have analyzed the natural variation in gene content and genome structure of 38 Bartonella henselae strains isolated from cats and humans by comparative genome hybridizations to microarrays and probe hybridizations to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) blots. The variation in gene content was modest and confined to the prophage and the genomic islands, whereas the PFGE analyses indicated extensive rearrangements across the terminus of replication with breakpoints in areas of the genomic islands. We observed no difference in gene content or structure between feline and human strains. Rather, the results suggest multiple sources of human infection from feline

SUBMITTER: Lindroos H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1636255 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature