Bordetella holmesii: initial genomic analysis of an emerging opportunist

Abstract Bordetella holmesii is an emerging opportunistic pathogen that causes respiratory disease in healthy individuals and invasive infections among patients lacking splenic function. We used 16S rRNA analysis to confirm B. holmesii as the cause of bacteremia in a child with sickle cell disease. Semiconductor‐based draft genome sequencing provided insight into B. holmesii phylogeny and potential virulence mechanisms and also identified a toluene‐4‐monoxygenase locus unique among bordetellae. Bordetella holmesii is a brown pigment‐producing Gram‐negative coccobacillus that is increasingly recognized as a cause of invasive disease in immunocompromised patients (Weyant, et al., 1995, Shepard, et al., 2004). Reports have linked B. holmesii to bacteremia, meningitis, pneumonia, pericarditis, endocarditis, and other clinical syndromes including pertussis‐like illnesses (Mazengia, et al., 2000, Shepard, et al., 2004, Mooi, et al., 2012). Though most cases are sporadic, a cluster of B. holmesii bacteremia among children was reported in 2010 (Layton & Weiss, 2010). © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved
Source: FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Short Communication Source Type: research