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Journal of Dairy Research

Table of Contents - 2006 - Volume 73, Issue 03  


Comparative sequence analysis of spa gene of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine mastitis: characterization of an unusual spa gene variant

Amr El-Sayed a1, Jörg Alber a1, Christoph Lämmler a1c1, Amir Abdulmawjood a2, Michael Zschöck a3 and V. Hugo Castañeda a4
a1 Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Frankfurter Str. 107, 35392 Gießen, Germany
a2 Institut für Tierärztliche Nahrungsmittelkunde, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Frankfurter Str. 92, 35392 Gießen, Germany
a3 Landesbetrieb Hessisches Landeslabor, Marburger Str. 54, 35396 Gießen, Germany
a4 Institute for Research in Veterinary Medicine and Foods, Campus Center of Biology, Agricultural and Veterinary Science, University of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

Article author query
el-sayed a   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
alber j   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
lammler c   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
abdulmawjood a   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
zschock m   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 
hugo castaneda v   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 

Abstract

The protein A encoding gene spa of four Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from bovine clinical mastitis was amplified by PCR and sequenced. The four strains were selected after an initial screening of spa gene of 41 strains isolated from mastitic cows and were subjected to detailed investigations. According to the sequencing results the spa gene of three strains (M1, M2, M3) appeared with gene segments encoding five (E, D, A, B and C) and four (E, A, B and C) IgG binding domains for two (M1, M3) and one (M2) strain, respectively and with gene segments encoding four, two and two repeats of the octapeptide Xr-repeats for the strains M1, M2 and M3, respectively. For the remaining Staph. aureus strain (M4) gene segments encoding IgG binding domains E, D and A and a new domain BC with a size of 219 bp could be observed. The BC domain appears, with a deletion of a 123 bp segment from the border region between both domains, as fused domain of both previously characterized domains. The Xr-region of this strain had 11 octapeptide repeats.

(Published Online March 29 2006)
(Received October 28 2005)
(Accepted January 5 2006)


Key Words: Cattle; mastitis; Staphylococcus aureus; spa gene; protein A; sequence variation.

Correspondence:
c1 e-mail: christoph.laemmler@vetmed.uni-giessen.de