ABSTRACT
The frequency and severity of human infections associated with Corynebacterium ulcerans appear to be increasing in different countries. Here, we describe the first C. ulcerans strain producing a diphtheria-like toxin isolated from an elderly woman with a fatal pulmonary infection and a history of leg skin ulcers in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area.
Subject(s)
Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Bronchopneumonia/microbiology , Corynebacterium Infections/microbiology , Corynebacterium/metabolism , Diphtheria Toxoid/biosynthesis , Leg Ulcer/microbiology , Brazil/epidemiology , Bronchopneumonia/diagnosis , Corynebacterium Infections/diagnosis , Corynebacterium Infections/epidemiology , Corynebacterium/isolation & purification , Fatal Outcome , Leg Ulcer/diagnosisABSTRACT
Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, a Gram-positive intracellular pathogen, is the etiological agent of caseous lymphadenitis or CLA. This bacterium infects goats and sheep and causes great economic losses worldwide annually, mainly for goat producers. Despite its importance, CLA is still poorly characterized. However, with advances in the genomic field, many C. pseudotuberculosis genes have already been characterized, mainly those related to virulence such as phospholipase D. Here, we examined the use of the several available genes of C. pseudotuberculosis and reviewed their applications in vaccine construction, more efficient diagnostics for CLA, and control of this disease, among other applications.
Subject(s)
Animals , Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis/genetics , Corynebacterium Infections/diagnosis , Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis/immunology , Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis/pathogenicity , Corynebacterium Infections/immunology , Corynebacterium Infections/microbiology , Bacterial Vaccines/genetics , Bacterial Vaccines/immunology , Virulence/geneticsABSTRACT
Since the Haemophilus influenzae genome sequence was completed in 1995, 172 other prokaryotic genomes have been completely sequenced, while 508 projects are underway. Besides pathogens, organisms important in several other fields, such as biotechnology and bioremediation, have also been sequenced. Institutions choose the organisms they wish to sequence according to the importance that these species represent to them, the availability of the microbes, and based on the similarity of a species of interest with others that have been sequenced previously. Improvements in sequencing techniques and in associated methodologies have been achieved; however, scientists need to continue working on the development of this field. In Brazil, a multicentered, centrally coordinated and research-focused network was adopted and successfully used for the sequencing of several important organisms. We analyzed the current status of microbial genomes, the trends for criteria used to choose new sequencing projects, the future of microbial sequencing, and the Brazilian genome network.