| Summary: | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Bordetella petrii </it>is the only environmental species hitherto found among the otherwise host-restricted and pathogenic members of the genus <it>Bordetella</it>. Phylogenetically, it connects the pathogenic Bordetellae and environmental bacteria of the genera <it>Achromobacter </it>and <it>Alcaligenes</it>, which are opportunistic pathogens. <it>B. petrii </it>strains have been isolated from very different environmental niches, including river sediment, polluted soil, marine sponges and a grass root. Recently, clinical isolates associated with bone degenerative disease or cystic fibrosis have also been described.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this manuscript we present the results of the analysis of the completely annotated genome sequence of the <it>B. petrii </it>strain DSMZ12804. <it>B. petrii </it>has a mosaic genome of 5,287,950 bp harboring numerous mobile genetic elements, including seven large genomic islands. Four of them are highly related to the <it>clc </it>element of <it>Pseudomonas knackmussii </it>B13, which encodes genes involved in the degradation of aromatics. Though being an environmental isolate, the sequenced <it>B. petrii </it>strain also encodes proteins related to virulence factors of the pathogenic Bordetellae, including the filamentous hemagglutinin, which is a major colonization factor of <it>B. pertussis</it>, and the master virulence regulator BvgAS. However, it lacks all known toxins of the pathogenic Bordetellae.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The genomic analysis suggests that <it>B. petrii </it>represents an evolutionary link between free-living environmental bacteria and the host-restricted obligate pathogenic Bordetellae. Its remarkable metabolic versatility may enable <it>B. petrii </it>to thrive in very different ecological niches.</p>
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