Abstract
Chlamydia psittaci primarily infects birds, but zoonotic transmission occurs in people in close contact with infected birds. The clinical outcome ranges from inapparent disease to pneumonia. Here we report the genome sequences of all 9 Chlamydia psittaci genotype reference strains.
GENOME ANNOUNCEMENT
Chlamydia psittaci is a Gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacterium causing respiratory disease in birds but also in mammals. Sequencing of the C. psittaci major outer membrane protein (ompA) gene identified 9 genotypes (A to F, E/B, M56, and WC) (4). Strains with genotypes A to F are isolated from birds, and genotypes WC and M56 represent mammalian isolates (1, 7, 8). The genotypes cluster with host species (5). Genotypes A and B are associated with psittacine birds (cockatoos, parrots, parakeets, and lories) and pigeons, respectively. Genotype C has been isolated from ducks and geese, whereas genotype D was found mainly in turkeys. The host range of genotype E is more diverse, since it has been isolated from pigeons, ratites, ducks, turkeys, and occasionally humans. Genotype F was isolated from psittacine birds and turkeys. Genotype E/B has been isolated mainly from ducks (4). Genotypes WC and M56 represent isolates from epizootics in cattle and muskrats, respectively (2, 6).
Here we report the genome sequences of all C. psittaci genotype reference strains (84/55, genotype A; CP3, genotype B; GR9, genotype C; NJ1, genotype D; MN, genotype E; VS225, genotype F; WS/RT/E30, genotype E/B; M56, genotype M56; WC, genotype WC). Table 1 is a summary of the features of the genomes. Comparative genomics analysis of these genomes will give us insight into the differences in pathogenicity, host tropism, and tissue specificity. Sequencing was performed using shotgun 454 Titanium (Roche) pyrosequencing according to the manufacturer's recommendations. De novo and reference mapping assemblies were performed with the software program Newbler (version 2.3; 454 Life Sciences, Branford, CT). If necessary, subsequent gap closure was done by conventional Sanger sequencing. Genome annotation was performed using the IGS prokaryotic annotation pipeline (3).
Table 1.
Features of the genome sequences
| Genotype | Strain | Host | Length (bp) | No. of putative coding sequences | % GC | Plasmidb | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 84/55 | Amazona sp. | 1,172,064 | 1,124 | 39 | Y | 9 |
| B | CP3 | Columba liviaa | 1,168,150 | 1,121 | 39 | Y | 8 |
| C | GR9 | Anas platyrhynchos | 1,147,152 | 1,045 | 39.1 | N | 7 |
| D | NJ1 | Meleagris gallapavo | 1,161,434 | 1,049 | 39 | Y | 8 |
| E | MN | Homo sapiens | 1,168,490 | 1,040 | 39 | Y | 4 |
| F | VS225 | Parakeet | 1,157,385 | 1,113 | 39 | Y | 2 |
| E/B | WS/RT/E30 | Anas platyrhynchos | 1,140,789 | 1,048 | 39 | Y | 4 |
| M56 | M56 | Ondatra zibethicus | 1,161,385 | 1,046 | 38.7 | Y | 6 |
| WC | WC | Bos taurus | 1,172,265 | 1,050 | 39.1 | Y | 2 |
Isolated from an urban pigeon.
Y, yes; N, no.
Nucleotide sequence accession numbers.
The genome sequences and plasmids of C. psittaci 84/55, CP3, GR9, NJ1, MN, VS225, WS/RT/E30, M56, and WC have been deposited at GenBank under the following accession numbers: CP003790 and CP003812; CP003797 and CP003813; CP003791; CP003798 and CP003816; CP003792 and CP003815; CP003793 and CP003817; CP003794 and CP003819; CP003795 and CP003814; and CP003796 and CP003818, respectively.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank M. Giglio and S. Daugherty at the Institute of Genome Sciences for their support in annotating the genomes and depositing them in GenBank.
This study was partly funded by an Academic Medical Center Ph.D. scholarship (2008) to J. R. Piet and by FWO Vlaanderen (to D. Beeckman).
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