Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo-bovis L550

Leptospira_borgpetersenii
Names Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo-bovis L550
Accession numbers NC_008508, NC_008509
Background Leptospirosis is one of the most common zoonotic diseases in the world, resulting in high morbidity and mortality in humans and affecting global livestock production. Most infections are caused by either Leptospira borgpetersenii or Leptospira interrogans, bacteria that vary in their distribution in nature and rely on different modes of transmission. L.borgpetersenii uses a host-to-host mode of transmission, whereas L.interrogans is usually acquired from contaminated surface water. Two different strains of L. borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo have been sequenced that have distinct phenotypes and virulence. Strain JB197 was isolated from a beef steer at slaughter in the U.S.A., whereas strain L550 was isolated from a human in Australia who had contracted leptospirosis from infected cattle. These two strains have nearly identical genetic content, with subtle frameshift and point mutations being a common form of genetic variation. Starkly limited regions of synteny are shared between the large chromosomes of L.borgpetersenii and L.interrogans, probably the result of frequent recombination events between insertion sequences. The L.borgpetersenii genome is approximately 700 kb smaller and has a lower coding density than L.interrogans, indicating it is decaying through a process of insertion sequence-mediated genome reduction. Loss of gene function is not random but is centered on impairment of environmental sensing and metabolite transport and utilization. These features distinguish L.borgpetersenii from L.interrogans, a species with minimal genetic decay and that survives extended passage in aquatic environments before encountering a mammalian host. It is thought that L.borgpetersenii is evolving toward dependence on a strict host-to-host transmission cycle (modified from PubMed 16973745). (EBI Integr8)
Taxonomy
Kingdom:Bacteria
Phylum:Spirochaetes
Class:Spirochaetes
Order:Spirochaetales
Family:Leptospiraceae
Genus:Leptospira
Species:borgpetersenii
Strain L550
Complete Yes
Sequencing centre (21-OCT-2006) National Center for Biotechnology Information, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
(30-JAN-2006) Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Building 53, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
Sequencing quality Level 6: Finished
Sequencing depth NA
Sequencing method NA
Isolation site Human patient with leptospirosis, Australia
Isolation country Australia
Number of replicons 2
Gram staining properties Negative
Shape Spirilla
Mobility No
Flagellar presence Yes
Number of membranes 2
Oxygen requirements Aerobic
Optimal temperature NA
Temperature range Mesophilic
Habitat HostAssociated
Biotic relationship Free living
Host name Homo sapiens
Cell arrangement NA
Sporulation Nonsporulating
Metabolism NA
Energy source NA
Diseases Leptospirosis
Pathogenicity Probable