Background
The Gram-negative intracellular bacterium
Mycoplasma anatis
is a pathogen of respiratory infectious diseases in ducks and has caused significant economic losses in the poultry industry.
Objective
This study, as the first report of the structure and function of the pan-genome of
Mycoplasma anatis
, may provide a valuable genetic basis for many aspects of future research on the pathogens of waterfowl.
Methods
We sequenced the whole genomes of 15
Mycoplasma anatis
isolated from ducks in China. Draft genome sequencing was carried out and whole-genome sequencing was performed by the sequencers of the PacBio Sequel and an IonTorrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM). Then the common genic elements of protein-coding genes, tRNAs, and rRNAs of
Mycoplasma anatis
genomes were predicted by using the pipeline Prokka v1.13.7. To investigate homologous protein clusters across
Mycoplasma anatis
genomes, we adopted Roary v3.13.0 to cluster orthologous genes (OGs) based on the following criteria.
Results
We obtained one complete genome and 14 genome sketches. Microbial mobile genetic element analysis revealed the distribution of insertion sequences (IS30, IS3, and IS1634), prophage regions, and CRISPR arrays in the genome of
Mycoplasma anatis
. Comparative genomic analysis decoded the genetic components and functional classification of the pan-genome of
Mycoplasma anatis
that comprised 646 core genes, 231 dispensable genes and among them 110 was strain-specific. Virulence-related gene profiles of
Mycoplasma anatis
were systematically identified, and the products of these genes included bacterial ABC transporter systems, iron transport proteins, toxins, and secretion systems.
Conclusion
A complete virulence-related gene profile of
Mycoplasma anatis
has been identified, most of the genes are highly conserved in all strains. Sequencing results are relevant to the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance, adaptive evolution of pathogens, population structure, and vaccine development.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13258-021-01129-5.