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J. Bacteriol., 05 1995, 2292-2298, Vol 177, No. 9
A Rakin, P Urbitsch and J Heesemann
Sensitivity to Yersinia pestis bacteriocin pesticin correlates with the
existence of two groups of human pathogenic yersiniae, mouse lethal and
mouse nonlethal. The presence of the outer membrane pesticin receptor
(FyuA) in mouse-lethal yersiniae is a prerequisite for pesticin
sensitivity. Genes that code for FyuA (fyuA) were identified and sequenced
from pesticin-sensitive bacteria, including Y. enterocolitica biotype 1B
(serotypes O8; O13, O20, and O21), Y. pseudotuberculosis serotype O1, Y.
pestis, two known pesticin-sensitive Escherichia coli isolates (E. coli Phi
and E. coli CA42), and two newly discovered pesticin-sensitive isolates, E.
coli K49 and K235. A 2,318-bp fyuA sequence was shown to be highly
conserved in all pesticin-sensitive bacteria, including E. coli strains
(DNA sequence homology was 98.5 to 99.9%). The same degree of DNA homology
(97.8 to 100%) was established for the sequenced 276-bp fragment of the
irp2 gene that encodes high- molecular-weight protein 2, which is also
thought to be involved in the expression of virulence by Yersinia species.
Highly conserved irp2 was also found in all pesticin-sensitive E. coli
strains. On the basis of the fyuA and irp2 sequence homologies, two
evolutionary groups of highly pathogenic Yersinia species can be
established. One group includes Y. enterocolitica biotype 1B strains, while
the second includes Y. pestis, Y. pseudotuberculosis serotype O1, and irp2-
positive Y. pseudotuberculosis serotype O3 strains. E. coli Phi, CA42, K49,
and K235 belong to the second group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Copyright © 1995, American Society for Microbiology
Evidence for two evolutionary lineages of highly pathogenic Yersinia species
Institut fur Hygiene und Mikrobiologie, Universitat Wurzburg, Germany.
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