Campylobacteriosis is the most common enteric disease worldwide. Raw chicken,
unpasteurized milk and non-chlorinated water constitute the main sources of
Campylobacter infections. Since the publication of the genome sequence of
Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 11168 in February 2000, additional evidence suggests that
C. jejuni exhibits high genome diversity. This diversity might, in part explain the
large spectrum of disease outcomes, ranging from asymptomatic colonization to acute
inflammatory diarrhea and Guillain-Barre syndrome (an autoimmune disorder of the peripheral
nervous system). To investigate this diversity, COBRE Investigator Dr. Alain Stintzi and
collaborators at OSU identified the unique genomic DNA sequences from two Campylobacter
strains, C. jejuni ATCC 43431 and 81-176, by comparison with C. jejuni NCTC
11168, using a shotgun DNA microarray approach. A shotgun microarray was constructed for
each strain by arraying approximately 10,000 individual whole plasmids form a genomic library
onto a glass slide. DNA fragments unique to C. jejuni ATCC 43431 and 81-176 were
identified by competitive hybridization to the array with genomic DNA of C. jejuni
NCTC 11168. Approximately 2,000 plasmids carrying unique DNA fragments were identified. The
DNA inserts were sequenced by the OUHSC Laboratory for Genomics and Bioinformatics. Up to
150 kb of new chromosomal DNA unique to C. jejuni ATCC 43431 and 81-176 were
identified. These sequences encode components of a type IV secretion apparatus,
restriction-modification systems, and proteins with a potential function in electron
transport. These unique genes are likely associated with C. jejuni fitness and
virulence. The characterization of unique genes from C. jejuni ATCC 43431 has been
recently published in the Journal of Bacteriology (2004. Vol. 186, No. 14, p. 4781-4795) and
the manuscript describing the identification of the unique genes from C. jejuni 81-176
will appear in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology in Spring 2005
Campylobacteriosis is the most common enteric disease worldwide. Raw chicken,
unpasteurized milk and non-chlorinated water constitute the main sources of
Campylobacter infections. Since the publication of the genome sequence of
Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 11168 in February 2000, additional evidence suggests that
C. jejuni exhibits high genome diversity. This diversity might, in part explain the
large spectrum of disease outcomes, ranging from asymptomatic colonization to acute
inflammatory diarrhea and Guillain-Barre syndrome (an autoimmune disorder of the peripheral
nervous system). To investigate this diversity, COBRE Investigator Dr. Alain Stintzi and
collaborators at OSU identified the unique genomic DNA sequences from two Campylobacter
strains, C. jejuni ATCC 43431 and 81-176, by comparison with C. jejuni NCTC
11168, using a shotgun DNA microarray approach. A shotgun microarray was constructed for
each strain by arraying approximately 10,000 individual whole plasmids form a genomic library
onto a glass slide. DNA fragments unique to C. jejuni ATCC 43431 and 81-176 were
identified by competitive hybridization to the array with genomic DNA of C. jejuni
NCTC 11168. Approximately 2,000 plasmids carrying unique DNA fragments were identified. The
DNA inserts were sequenced by the OUHSC Laboratory for Genomics and Bioinformatics. Up to
150 kb of new chromosomal DNA unique to C. jejuni ATCC 43431 and 81-176 were
identified. These sequences encode components of a type IV secretion apparatus,
restriction-modification systems, and proteins with a potential function in electron
transport. These unique genes are likely associated with C. jejuni fitness and
virulence. The characterization of unique genes from C. jejuni ATCC 43431 has been
recently published in the Journal of Bacteriology (2004. Vol. 186, No. 14, p. 4781-4795) and
the manuscript describing the identification of the unique genes from C. jejuni 81-176
will appear in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology in Spring 2005