This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplemental material Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Raphael, B. H. Articles by Andreadis, J. D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Raphael, B. H. Articles by Andreadis, J. D. Agricola Articles by Raphael, B. H. Articles by Andreadis, J. D.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 2008, p. 4390-4397, Vol. 74, No. 14
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00260-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Genetic Homogeneity of Clostridium botulinum Type A1 Strains with Unique Toxin Gene Clusters ^,

Brian H. Raphael,^1* Carolina Luquez,¹ Loretta M. McCroskey,¹ Lavin A. Joseph,^1,3 Mark J. Jacobson,² Eric A. Johnson,² Susan E. Maslanka,¹ and Joanne D. Andreadis¹

Enteric Diseases Laboratory Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia,¹ Food Research Institute, Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin,² Battelle Memorial Institute, Atlanta, Georgia³

Received 29 January 2008/ Accepted 12 May 2008

A group of five clonally related Clostridium botulinum type A strains isolated from different sources over a period of nearly 40 years harbored several conserved genetic properties. These strains contained a variant bont/A1 with five nucleotide polymorphisms compared to the gene in C. botulinum strain ATCC 3502. The strains also had a common toxin gene cluster composition (ha–/orfX+) similar to that associated with bont/A in type A strains containing an unexpressed bont/B [termed A(B) strains]. However, bont/B was not identified in the strains examined. Comparative genomic hybridization demonstrated identical genomic content among the strains relative to C. botulinum strain ATCC 3502. In addition, microarray data demonstrated the absence of several genes flanking the toxin gene cluster among the ha–/orfX+ A1 strains, suggesting the presence of genomic rearrangements with respect to this region compared to the C. botulinum ATCC 3502 strain. All five strains were shown to have identical flaA variable region nucleotide sequences. The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns of the strains were indistinguishable when digested with SmaI, and a shift in the size of at least one band was observed in a single strain when digested with XhoI. These results demonstrate surprising genomic homogeneity among a cluster of unique C. botulinum type A strains of diverse origin.

---

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS G-29, Atlanta, GA 30333. Phone: (404) 639-4292. Fax: (404) 639-4290. E-mail: braphael{at}cdc.gov

Published ahead of print on 23 May 2008.

Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://aem.asm.org/.

---

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 2008, p. 4390-4397, Vol. 74, No. 14
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00260-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Lindstrom, M., Hinderink, K., Somervuo, P., Kiviniemi, K., Nevas, M., Chen, Y., Auvinen, P., Carter, A. T., Mason, D. R., Peck, M. W., Korkeala, H. (2009). Comparative Genomic Hybridization Analysis of Two Predominant Nordic Group I (Proteolytic) Clostridium botulinum Type B Clusters. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 2643-2651 [Abstract] [Full Text]