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Evidence of interspecies O antigen gene cluster transfer between S higella boydii 15 and E scherichia fergusonii
Author(s) -
Azmuda Nafisa,
Rahman Mohammed Z.,
Sultana Munawar,
Jenssen Eirin L.,
Khan Sirajul I.,
Birkeland NilsKåre
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
apmis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0903-4641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0463.2012.02926.x
Subject(s) - shigella boydii , biology , antigen , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , serotype , somatic antigen , gene cluster , escherichia coli , virology , shigella , genetics
An environmental bacterial isolate, Iso10, previously found to show serological cross‐reactivity with type‐specific S higella boydii 15 antisera was subjected to further molecular and serological analyses that revealed interspecies transfer of the O antigen gene cluster. Western blot analysis of Iso10 cell surface extracts and purified lipopolysaccharides demonstrated strong cross‐reactivity with S . boydii 15‐specific monovalent antisera and a lipopolysaccharide gel banding profile similar to that of S . boydii 15. Biochemical and phylogenetic analyses identified the Iso10 isolate as E scherichia fergusonii . O antigen gene cluster analyses of Iso10, carried out by restriction fragment length analysis of the amplified ~10‐kb O antigen‐encoding gene cluster, revealed a profile highly similar to that of S . boydii 15, confirming the presence of the S . boydii 15 somatic antigen in Iso10. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of interspecies transfer of O antigen‐encoding genes between S . boydii and E . fergusonii , and it has implications for our understanding of the role of lateral gene transfer in the emergence of novel Shigella serotypes.