Bordetella holmesii: Lipid A Structures and Corresponding Genomic Sequences Comparison in Three Clinical Isolates and the Reference Strain ATCC 51541

Abstract

Bordetella holmesii can cause invasive infections but can also be isolated from the respiratory tract of patients with whooping-cough like symptoms. For the first time, we describe the lipid A structure of B. holmesii reference strain ATCC 51541 (alias NCTC12912 or CIP104394) and those of three French B. holmesii clinical isolates originating from blood (Bho1) or from respiratory samples (FR4020 and FR4101). They were investigated using chemical analyses, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–mass spectrometry (MALDI–MS). The analyses revealed a common bisphosphorylated β-(1→6)-linked d-glucosamine disaccharide with hydroxytetradecanoic acid in amide linkages. Similar to B. avium, B. hinzii and B. trematum lipids A, the hydroxytetradecanoic acid at the C-2′ position are carrying in secondary linkage a 2-hydroxytetradecanoic acid residue resulting of post-traductional biosynthesis modifications. The three clinical isolates displayed characteristic structural traits compared to the ATCC 51541 reference strain: the lipid A phosphate groups are more or less modified with glucosamine in the isolates and reference strain, but the presence of 10:0(3-OH) is only observed in the isolates. This trait was only described in B. pertussis and B. parapertussis strains, as well as in B. petrii isolates by the past. The genetic bases for most of the key structural elements of lipid A were analyzed and supported the structural data.

Bordetella holmesii Lipopolysaccharide Hide and Seek Game with Pertussis: Structural Analysis of the O-Specific Polysaccharide and the Core Oligosaccharide of the Type Strain ATCC 51541

“…One of the common virulence factors and the essential constituent of the bacterial membrane of all Bordetellae is lipopolysaccharide [ 16 ]. The lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Bordetellae differ structurally between species and strains.…”

“…To date there is no effective vaccine against B. holmesii, and the existing pertussis DTwP and DTaP vaccines do not provide cross-protection in animal models of B. holmesii infection [ 15 , 29 ]. Lipopolysaccharide is one of the common virulence factors and the essential constituent of the bacterial membrane of all Bordetellae [ 16 ]. In the current research we have elucidated the structures of the O-specific polysaccharide and the core oligosaccharide of B. holmesii ATCC 51541: (1) The B. holmesii O-specific polysaccharide has been identified as the novel pentasaccharide biological repeating unit ( Figure 7 ).…”

“…B. holmesii does not produce the main protein antigens typical for B. pertussis and implicated in the pathogenesis of whooping-cough such as pertussis-toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin, pertactin, adenylate cyclase toxin and fimbrial proteins [ 8 , 15 ]. Among the virulence factors of B. bronchiseptica and B. pertussis is LPS [ 16 ]. The virulence factors of B. holmesii and their role in the pathogenesis remain unknown.…”

“…However, data on the structural features of the LPS of B. holmesii are scarce. To date, only the structural analysis on the B. holmesii lipid A was published [ 16 ]. Thus, for the first time, we describe the structural details of B. holmesii strain ATCC 51541 O-specific polysaccharide and core oligosaccharide segments of LPS and confront them with these typical LPS of the “ B. bronchiseptica cluster.”…”

Bordetella parapertussis Bacteremia: Clinical Expression and Bacterial Genomics

“…Knowing whether these changes are associated with B. parapertussis bacteremia will require the availability of genomic sequences of multiple other isolates and experimental demonstration of possible effects on invasiveness. In B. holmesii , no differences were found between isolates of respiratory and bacteremia origins, using either genomic analysis or cellular/animal models [20, 21]. Therefore, the bacterial determinants of Bordetella bacteremia remain elusive.…”