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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Produce Safety and Microbiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #329122
Research Project: Molecular Identification and Characterization of Bacterial and Viral Pathogens Associated with Foods

Location: Produce Safety and Microbiology Research

Title: Complete genome sequence of the Campylobacter iguaniorum strain RM11343, isolated from an alpaca

Author
item Miller, William
item Yee, Emma
item Huynh, Steven
item Chapman, Mary
item Parker, Craig

Submitted to: Genome Announcements
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/25/2016
Publication Date: 6/30/2016
Citation: Miller, W.G., Yee, E., Huynh, S., Chapman, M.H., Parker, C. 2016. Complete genome sequence of the Campylobacter iguaniorum strain RM11343, isolated from an alpaca. Genome Announcements. 4(3):e00646-16.

Interpretive Summary: Campylobacter species are isolated typically from a wide variety of warm-blooded animals and birds. However, some campylobacters, members of the Campylobacter fetus group of organisms, have been isolated from cold-blooded reptiles. These two campylobacters: C. fetus subsp. testudinum and C. iguaniorum, have been isolated from lizards, snakes and turtles and occasionally cause disease in humans. This study presents the genome sequence of a C. iguaniorum strain isolated from an alpaca fecal sample and represents the first strain of this species isolated outside of reptiles. Obvious differences were identified between the alpaca-associated strain and the reptile-associated strains; however, the alpaca strain was clearly a C. iguaniorum and not an iguaniorum subspecies or a C. iguaniorum-related strain. The presence of a normally reptile-associated strain in a warm-blooded pseudoruminant (that is, an alpaca) is intriguing. A metabolic pathway identified in this strain was more similar to one identified in a swine-associated Campylobacter than to similar pathways from reptile-associated Campylobacter, suggesting a possible dietary basis for association of this strain with alpaca.

Technical Abstract: Campylobacter iguaniorum is a member of the C. fetus group of campylobacters and is one of two Campylobacter taxa isolated from reptiles. This study describes the whole-genome sequence of the C. iguaniorum strain RM11343, which was isolated from a California alpaca fecal sample.