Pasteurella multocida

Allison Gillaspy, Ph.D. is the Principal Investigator on the Pasteurella multocida genome sequencing project, supported by USDA/CSREES grant #2003-05520.

Pasteurella multocida are Gram negative, non-motile rods with a thick hyaluronic capsule and are capable of causing disease in both humans and animals. The greatest impact of this organism is on the agricultural industry with major economic losses each year due to Pasteurella infection among swine herds. Although this organism is considered a commensal inhabitant of swine, the incidence of P. multocida related disease in these animals continues to increase.

P. multocida is the etiologic agent of progressive atrophic rhinitis (PAR) of swine. The development of PAR is associated with the presence of P. multocida serotype D strains that produce a 145 kDa dermonecrotic toxin encoded by the toxA gene (1, 2). In diseased animals, the dermonecrotic toxin causes atrophy of the nasal turbinate bones and in severe cases can lead to facial distortion.

P. multocida also plays an important role in porcine pneumonic pasteurellosis, which is among the most common diseases of grower-finisher pigs (3). In contrast to PAR related strains, P. multocida strains associated with pneumonia are most often serotype A and non-toxigenic (4-7). The P-3480 strain that we have chosen for sequencing was recovered from a pneumonic lesion of a pig and has been characterized by researchers at the USDA's National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa. This strain has been shown to be a non-toxigenic, serotype A isolate capable of causing secondary disease in a swine pneumonia model (8).

Pneumonia associated with P. multocida is highly contagious and has a high mortality among infected herds. In addition, prior infection with other microorganisms such as Bordetella bronchiseptica, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) makes animals much more susceptible to secondary Pasteurella infection. The presence of numerous infectious agents complicates efforts at disease control and multiple antibiotics in various combinations must be used to combat infection due to the polymicrobic nature of this disease. Although the majority of P. multocida isolates are still susceptible to most antimicrobial agents in current use, at least one third of isolates recently tested were resistant to one or more of the major antimicrobials (9). The complete genome sequence of a non-toxigenic, swine pneumonia strain of P. multocida will aid in the development of new prophylactic and treatment measures to better control this disease and to minimize its effect on the agricultural industry.

 

 Data access

Download contigs from the latest Pasteurella multocida assembly

Download the stats from the latest Pasteurella multocida assembly

Use Sequal to view the Phrap quality scores from each contig in this project in both graphical and color-coded forms.

 

 References

1. Buys, W.E., H.E. Smith, A.M. Kamps, E.M. Kamp, and M.A. Smits. Nucleic Acids Res, 1990. 18(9): p. 2815-6.
2. Lax, A.J., N. Chanter, G.D. Pullinger, T. Higgins, J.M. Staddon, and E. Rozengurt. FEBS Lett, 1990. 277(1-2): p. 59-64.
3. Ross, R.F. Diseases of Swine, ed. A.D. Leman, B.E. Straw, and W.L. Mengeling. Vol. 7th Edition. 1992, Iowa State University Press: Ames, Iowa. 537-551.
4. Davies, R.L., R. MacCorquodale, S. Baillie, and B. Caffrey. J Med Microbiol, 2003. 52: p. 59-67.
5. Pijoan, C., R.B. Morrison, and H.D. Hilley. J Clin Microbiol, 1983. 17(6): p. 1074-6.
6. Pijoan, C., A. Lastra, C. Ramirez, and A.D. Leman. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 1984. 185(5): p. 522-3.
7. Rubies, X., J. Casal, and C. Pijoan. Vet Microbiol, 2002. 84(1-2): p. 69-78.
8. Brockmeier, S.L., M.V. Palmer, S.R. Bolin, and R.B. Rimler. Am J Vet Res, 2001. 62(4): p. 521-5.
9. Yoshimura, H., M. Ishimaru, Y.S. Endoh, and A. Kojima. J Vet Med B Infect Dis Vet Public Health, 2001. 48(7): p. 555-60.