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J Bacteriol. Jun 2012; 194(12): 3292–3293.
PMCID: PMC3370874

Complete Genome Sequence of Pasteurella multocida HN06, a Toxigenic Strain of Serogroup D


Pasteurella multocida is an important etiological agent that can cause many economically important diseases in a wide range of mammals and birds. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of P. multocida HN06, a toxigenic serogroup D strain isolated from a diseased pig in China.


Pasteurella multocida is a Gram-negative, nonmotile, rod-shaped bacterial pathogen that can cause multihost diseases, characterized by atrophic rhinitis and pneumonic pasteurellosis in pigs, fowl cholera in avian, hemorrhagic septicemia in cattle, and bite infections in humans (3). Based on the differences in capsular antigens, P. multocida can be classified into five serogroups (A, B, D, E, and F) (4). Toxigenic P. multocida strains, which produce P. multocida toxin (PMT) and cause atrophic rhinitis in pigs, usually belong to serogroup D (8). In order to determine the extraordinary virulence factors that contribute to atrophic rhinitis, we sequenced the complete genome of P. multocida HN06, a toxigenic serogroup D strain isolated from a diseased pig in China.

Whole-genome shotgun sequencing was performed by using the Illumina Solexa platform. A total of 4,792,617 paired-end reads were generated from a genomic DNA library with 300- to 500-bp fragments, giving an ~360-fold coverage of the genome. All reads were de novo assembled using the Velvet package (11), and 61 contigs of more than 500 bp were generated. Gaps between contigs were closed by primer walking. Protein-coding sequences (CDSs) were predicted by use of the programs Glimmer (6) and GeneMarks (1). tRNAs and rRNAs were identified using tRNAscan-SE (10) and RNAmmer (9), respectively.

P. multocida HN06 consists of a circular chromosome with 2,402,218 bp and a plasmid, pHN06, with 5,360 bp. The average GC contents of the chromosome and plasmid are 40.2% and 47.5%, respectively. The HN06 genome encodes 2,279 CDSs with an average size of 928 bp, accounting for about 88% of the genome. Additionally, 56 tRNA genes and 6 rRNA operons were identified. Approximately 48.4% of CDSs were assigned to functional COGs (cluster of orthologous groups), 3.9% had general function predictions only, and the remaining proteins had unknown functions.

A number of genes encoding products associated with known virulence factors were present in the HN06 genome. A gene cluster, exbB-exbD-tonB, encodes components of a well-studied TonB system used for iron acquisition by many Gram-negative bacteria and that are necessary for the virulence of P. multocida (2). The gene ompA codes for an outer membrane protein that has been reported to be involved in the adherence of P. multocida to host cells (5, 7). Furthermore, on comparison to the public genomes of two P. multocida strains, Pm70 and 36590, 297 strain-specific genes were identified in the HN06 genome. Among these, the gene toxA encodes a dermonecrotic toxin, PMT, which is often expressed by strains of serogroup D and is responsible for the clinical symptoms of atrophic rhinitis (8). However, most of the unique genes to strain HN06 were annotated as hypothetical proteins whose functions and potential links to bacterial pathogenesis are worth further characterization. The complete genome sequence of P. multocida HN06 will provide a useful genetic basis for the development of effective vaccines and diagnostic approaches to prevent and control atrophic rhinitis in pigs.

Nucleotide sequence accession numbers.

The genome sequence of P. multocida subsp. multocida strain HN06 has been deposited in the GenBank database under accession numbers CP003313 (chromosome) and CP003314 (plasmid).


This work was supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC; 31030065) and the Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31121004).


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