Genetic diversity of clinicalBordetella pertussisST2 strains in comparison with vaccine reference strains of India
AbstractPertussis is a highly contagious disease of the respiratory tract caused byBordetella pertussis, a bacteria that lives in the mouth, nose, and throat. Current study reports the highly accurate complete genomes of two clinicalB. pertussisstrains from India for the first time. The analysis revealed insertional elements flanked by IS481, which has been previously regarded as the important component for bacterial evolution. The twoB. pertussisclinical strains exhibited diversity through genome degradation when compared to whole-cell pertussis vaccine reference strains of India. These isolates harboured multiple genetic virulence traits and toxin subunits, which belonged to sequence type ST2. The genome information of Indian clinicalB. pertussisstrains will serve as a baseline data to decipher more information on the genome evolution, virulence factors and their role in pathogenesis for effective vaccine strategies.