Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) phase variation is a critical aspect of virulence in many Gram-negative bacteria. It is of particular importance to Coxiella burnetii, the biothreat pathogen that causes Q fever, as in vitro propagation of this organism leads to LPS truncation, which is associated with an attenuated and exempted from select agent status (Nine Mile II, NMII). Here, we demonstrate that NMII was recovered from the spleens of infected guinea pigs. Moreover, these strains exhibit a previously unrecognized form of elongated LPS and display increased virulence in comparison with the initial NMII strain. The reversion of a 3-bp mutation in the gene cbu0533 directly leads to LPS elongation. To address potential safety concerns, we introduce a modified NMII strain unable to produce elongated LPS.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Carrie M. Long, Paul A. Beare, Diane Cockrell, Picabo Binette, Mahelat Tesfamariam, Crystal Richards, Matthew Anderson, Jessica McCormick-Ell, Megan Brose, Rebecca Anderson, Anders Omsland, Talima Pearson, Robert A. Heinzen
Language: English
Subfield: Parasitology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,790
OpenAlex ID: W4391168836