ARS | Publication request: Mycobacterium avium subspecies Paratuberculosis

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: July 28, 2010
Publication Date: February 1, 2011
Citation: Bannantine, J.P., Chang, Y., Kapur, V. 2011. Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis. In: Fratamico, P., Liu, Y., Kathariou, S., editors. Genomes of Foodborne and Waterborne Pathogens. Washington, DC: ASM Press. p. 223-235.

Technical Abstract: The genome sequence has now defined the complete catalog of genes that make Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis what it is. Although similarity searches and bioinformatics analyses have assigned potential function to hundreds of genes in this pathogen, the future challenge is to begin to systematically identify gene function through mutagenesis studies and biochemical approaches. Furthermore, RNA extraction protocols would be of benefit for future transcriptional profiling experiments using the whole-genome M. avium subsp paratuberculosis DNA array. The genomic diversity between sheep and cattle strains argues for the genome sequencing of a sheep isolate of M. avium subsp paratuberculosis. Even human isolates cluster with bovine isolates, but sheep isolates remain distinct. Our laboratories are currently sequencing a sheep isolate from North America that contains the same deletions observed in the Australian sheep isolates. This effort will catalog any remaining differences between cattle and sheep isolate genomes and may give insights on host specificity. This chapter summarizes the findings from genome analysis studies on this significant veterinary pathogen.