Phylogenomic Characterization of a Novel Corynebacterium Species Associated with Fatal Diphtheritic Stomatitis in Endangered Yellow-Eyed Penguins.

ABSTRACT: Yellow-eyed penguins, Megadyptes antipodes, are an endangered species that are endemic to New Zealand. Outbreaks of diphtheritic stomatitis have caused significant mortality for this species, especially among young chicks. In this study, we isolated 16 Corynebacterium sp. isolates from the oral cavities of 2- to 14-day-old chicks at a range of infection stages and sequenced the genomes to understand their virulence mechanisms. Phylogenomic and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) characterization indicate that these strains belong to a novel Corynebacterium species. A simple multiplex PCR-based diagnostic assay has been developed to identify these strains rapidly and reliably. Similar to other corynebacteria, genomic islands and prophages int

SUBMITTER: Saunderson SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8269222 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature