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Journal article
Draft genomes of novel avian Chlamydia abortus strains from Australian Torresian crows (Corvus orru) shed light on possible reservoir hosts and evolutionary pathways
Microbial Genomics, Vol.9(11), pp.1-12
2023
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Chlamydia abortus, an obligate intracellular bacterium, is a major causative agent of reproductive loss in ruminants, with zoonotic potential. Though this pathogen is primarily known to infect livestock, recent studies have detected and isolated genetically distinct avian strains of C. abortus from wild birds globally. Before this study, only five avian C. abortus genomes were publicly available. Therefore, we performed culture-independent probe-based whole-genome sequencing on clinical swabs positive for avian C. abortus obtained from Australian Torresian crows (Corvus orru) in 2019 and 2020. We successfully obtained draft genomes for three avian C. abortus strains (C1, C2 and C3), each comprising draft chromosomes with lengths of 1 115 667, 1 120 231 and 1 082 115 bp, and associated 7 553 bp plasmids, with a genome completeness exceeding 92 %. Molecular characterization revealed that these three strains comprise a novel sequence type (ST333), whilst phylogenetic analyses placed all three strains in a cluster with other avian C. abortus genomes. Interestingly, these three strains share a distant genomic relation (2693 single nucleotide variants) with the reference strain 15-58d/44 (ST152), isolated from a Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) in Poland, highlighting the need for more publicly available genomes. Broad comparative analyses with other avian C. abortus genomes revealed that the three draft genomes contain conserved Chlamydia genomic features, including genes coding for type III secretion system and polymorphic membrane proteins, and potential virulence factors such as the large chlamydial cytotoxin, warranting further studies. This research provides the first avian C. abortus draft genomes from Australian birds, highlighting Torresian crows as novel reservoir hosts for these potential pathogens, and demonstrates a practical methodology for sequencing novel Chlamydia genomes without relying on traditional cell culture.
Details
- Title
- Draft genomes of novel avian Chlamydia abortus strains from Australian Torresian crows (Corvus orru) shed light on possible reservoir hosts and evolutionary pathways
- Authors
- Vasilli Kasimov (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for BioinnovationRhys T White (Author) - New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic ScienceMartina Jelocnik (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Publication details
- Microbial Genomics, Vol.9(11), pp.1-12
- Publisher
- The Microbiology Society
- Date published
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.1099/mgen.0.001134
- ISSN
- 2057-5858
- Copyright note
- © 2023 The Authors. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. This article was made open access via a Publish and Read agreement between the Microbiology Society and the corresponding author’s institution.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99982896102621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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