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White RT, Legione AR, Taylor-Brown A, Fernandez CM, Higgins DP, Timms P, Jelocnik M. Completing the Genome Sequence of Chlamydia pecorum Strains MC/MarsBar and DBDeUG: New Insights into This Enigmatic Koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus) Pathogen. Pathogens 2021; 10:1543. [PMID: 34959498 PMCID: PMC8703710 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10121543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia pecorum, an obligate intracellular pathogen, causes significant morbidity and mortality in livestock and the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). A variety of C. pecorum gene-centric molecular studies have revealed important observations about infection dynamics and genetic diversity in both koala and livestock hosts. In contrast to a variety of C. pecorum molecular studies, to date, only four complete and 16 draft genomes have been published. Of those, only five draft genomes are from koalas. Here, using whole-genome sequencing and a comparative genomics approach, we describe the first two complete C. pecorum genomes collected from diseased koalas. A de novo assembly of DBDeUG_2018 and MC/MarsBar_2018 resolved the chromosomes and chlamydial plasmids each as single, circular contigs. Robust phylogenomic analyses indicate biogeographical separation between strains from northern and southern koala populations, and between strains infecting koala and livestock hosts. Comparative genomics between koala strains identified new, unique, and shared loci that accumulate single-nucleotide polymorphisms and separate between northern and southern, and within northern koala strains. Furthermore, we predicted novel type III secretion system effectors. This investigation constitutes a comprehensive genome-wide comparison between C. pecorum from koalas and provides improvements to annotations of a C. pecorum reference genome. These findings lay the foundations for identifying and understanding host specificity and adaptation behind chlamydial infections affecting koalas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhys T. White
- Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Sunshine Coast, QLD 4557, Australia; (R.T.W.); (A.T.-B.); (P.T.)
| | - Alistair R. Legione
- Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
| | - Alyce Taylor-Brown
- Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Sunshine Coast, QLD 4557, Australia; (R.T.W.); (A.T.-B.); (P.T.)
- Parasites and Microbes Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Cristina M. Fernandez
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; (C.M.F.); (D.P.H.)
| | - Damien P. Higgins
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; (C.M.F.); (D.P.H.)
| | - Peter Timms
- Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Sunshine Coast, QLD 4557, Australia; (R.T.W.); (A.T.-B.); (P.T.)
| | - Martina Jelocnik
- Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Sunshine Coast, QLD 4557, Australia; (R.T.W.); (A.T.-B.); (P.T.)
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Clune T, Besier S, Hair S, Hancock S, Lockwood A, Thompson A, Jelocnik M, Jacobson C. Chlamydia pecorum detection in aborted and stillborn lambs from Western Australia. Vet Res 2021; 52:84. [PMID: 34116730 PMCID: PMC8196467 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-021-00950-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Lamb survival is an important welfare and productivity issue for sheep industries worldwide. Lower lamb survival has been reported for primiparous ewes, but the causes of this are not well studied. The aim of this study was to determine causes of perinatal deaths for lambs born to primiparous ewes in Western Australia, and identify if infectious diseases are implicated. Lamb mortality from birth to marking were determined for 11 primiparous ewe flocks on 10 farms in Western Australia. Lamb mortality from birth to marking averaged 14% for single-born and 26% for multiple-born lambs. Lamb necropsies (n = 298) identified starvation–mismosthering–exposure (34%), dystocia (24%) and stillbirth (15%) as the most common causes of perinatal lamb death. There was no evidence of exotic abortigenic pathogens in aborted and stillborn lambs (n = 35). Chlamydia pecorum was detected by qPCR in 15/35 aborted and stillborn lambs on 5/6 farms. Preliminary molecular characterisation of C. pecorum detected in samples from aborted and stillborn lambs (n = 8) using both Multilocus Sequence Typing and ompA genotyping indicated all strains were genetically identical to previously described pathogenic livestock strains, denoted ST23, and dissimilar to gastrointestinal strains. High frequency of detection of a pathogenic C. pecorum strains ST23 associated with ovine abortion and stillbirth on multiple farms located across a wide geographic area has not been previously reported. Chlamydia pecorum may contribute to reproductive wastage for primiparous sheep in Western Australia. Further investigation to understand C. pecorum epidemiology and impact on sheep reproduction is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Clune
- Centre for Animal Production and Health, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia
| | - Shane Besier
- Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, South Perth, WA, 6151, Australia
| | - Sam Hair
- Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, South Perth, WA, 6151, Australia
| | - Serina Hancock
- Centre for Animal Production and Health, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia
| | - Amy Lockwood
- Centre for Animal Production and Health, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia
| | - Andrew Thompson
- Centre for Animal Production and Health, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia
| | - Martina Jelocnik
- Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4557, Australia
| | - Caroline Jacobson
- Centre for Animal Production and Health, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia.
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Nazareth L, Walkden H, Chacko A, Delbaz A, Shelper T, Armitage CW, Reshamwala R, Trim LK, St John JA, Beagley KW, Ekberg JAK. Chlamydia muridarum Can Invade the Central Nervous System via the Olfactory and Trigeminal Nerves and Infect Peripheral Nerve Glial Cells. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 10:607779. [PMID: 33489937 PMCID: PMC7819965 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.607779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia pneumoniae can infect the brain and has been linked to late-onset dementia. Chlamydia muridarum, which infects mice, is often used to model human chlamydial infections. While it has been suggested to be also important for modelling brain infection, nervous system infection by C. muridarum has not been reported in the literature. C. pneumoniae has been shown to infect the olfactory bulb in mice after intranasal inoculation, and has therefore been suggested to invade the brain via the olfactory nerve; however, nerve infection has not been shown to date. Another path by which certain bacteria can reach the brain is via the trigeminal nerve, but it remains unknown whether Chlamydia species can infect this nerve. Other bacteria that can invade the brain via the olfactory and/or trigeminal nerve can do so rapidly, however, whether Chlamydia spp. can reach the brain earlier than one-week post inoculation remains unknown. In the current study, we showed that C. muridarum can within 48 h invade the brain via the olfactory nerve, in addition to infecting the trigeminal nerve. We also cultured the glial cells of the olfactory and trigeminal nerves and showed that C. muridarum readily infected the cells, constituting a possible cellular mechanism explaining how the bacteria can invade the nerves without being eliminated by glial immune functions. Further, we demonstrated that olfactory and trigeminal glia differed in their responses to C. muridarum, with olfactory glia showing less infection and stronger immune response than trigeminal glia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn Nazareth
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Southport, QLD, Australia.,Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Heidi Walkden
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Southport, QLD, Australia.,Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Anu Chacko
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Southport, QLD, Australia.,Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Ali Delbaz
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Southport, QLD, Australia.,Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Todd Shelper
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Southport, QLD, Australia.,Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Charles W Armitage
- Centre for Immunology and Infection Control, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Ronak Reshamwala
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Southport, QLD, Australia.,Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Logan K Trim
- Centre for Immunology and Infection Control, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - James A St John
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Southport, QLD, Australia.,Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia.,Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Kenneth W Beagley
- Centre for Immunology and Infection Control, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jenny A K Ekberg
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Southport, QLD, Australia.,Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia.,Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
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Ostfeld N, Islam MM, Jelocnik M, Hilbe M, Sydler T, Hartnack S, Jacobson C, Clune T, Marsh I, Sales N, Polkinghorne A, Borel N. Chlamydia pecorum-Induced Arthritis in Experimentally and Naturally Infected Sheep. Vet Pathol 2020; 58:346-360. [PMID: 33208021 DOI: 10.1177/0300985820973461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Chlamydia pecorum is an obligate intracellular pathogen with a wide host range including livestock such as sheep, cattle, goats, and pigs as well as wildlife species such as koalas. Chlamydial polyarthritis is an economically important disease resulting in swollen joints, lameness, stiffness, and weight loss in young sheep. In the present study, tissues from sheep experimentally or naturally infected with Chlamydia pecorum were assessed by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Carpal, hock, and stifle joints as well as spleen, liver, kidney, lymph nodes, lung, and brain of 35 sheep from different inoculation groups were available. Two different C. pecorum strains (IPA and E58), different routes of administration (intraarticular or intravenous), UVA-irradiated IPA strain, and corresponding noninfected control groups were investigated. Similar investigations on tissues from 5 naturally infected sheep were performed. The most obvious inflammatory lesions were observed in synovial tissues and, notably, in the renal pelvis from the experimentally infected group and naturally infected animals. This resulted in chronic or chronic-active arthritis and pyelitis. Intralesional chlamydial inclusions could be demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in both tissues. Immunohistochemical evaluation of the presence and distribution of macrophages, T and B cells in synovial tissues revealed macrophages as the most prevalent inflammatory cell population. Previous observations indicated that C. pecorum isolates can infect circulating monocytes. Together with the finding of the histological lesions in synovial tissues and internal organs alongside the presence of C. pecorum DNA, these observations suggest chlamydial arthritis in lambs is the result of hematogeneous spread of C. pecorum.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mominul M Islam
- 5333University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia.,Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh
| | - Martina Jelocnik
- 5333University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | - Tom Clune
- 5673Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Ian Marsh
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, 153388Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institut, Menangle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Narelle Sales
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, 153388Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institut, Menangle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Adam Polkinghorne
- 6488Nepean Hospital, NSW Health Pathology, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.,University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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