Characterisation and distribution of a cryptic Salmonella typhi plasmid pHCM2.

Journal article

pHCM2 is a 106 kbp cryptic plasmid harboured by Salmonella typhi CT18, originally isolated from a typhoid patient in Vietnam. The genome of S. typhi CT18, including pHCM2, has recently been completely sequenced and annotated. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that 57% of the coding sequences (CDSs) encoded on pHCM2 display over 97% DNA sequence identity to the virulence-associated plasmid of Yersinia pestis, pFra. pHCM2 encodes no obvious virulence-associated determinants or antibiotic resistance genes but does encode a wide array of putative genes directly related to DNA metabolism and replication. PCR analysis of a series of S. typhi isolates from Vietnam detected pHCM2-related DNA sequences in some S. typhi isolated before, but not after, 1994. Similar pHCM2-related sequences were also detected in S. typhi isolated from other regions of South East Asia and Pakistan but not elsewhere in the world.

Authors: Kidgell, C; Pickard, D; Wain, J; James, K; Nga, D

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Plasmid
• Volume: 47
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 159-171
• Publication date: 2002-05-01
• DOI: 10.1016/s0147-619x(02)00013-6
• EISSN: 1095-9890
• ISSN: 0147-619X
• Language: English
• Keywords: Humans; DNA Replication; Genes, Bacterial; Computational Biology; Base Sequence; Typhoid Fever; Molecular Sequence Data; Salmonella typhi; Plasmids; Evolution, Molecular; Vietnam; Chromosome Mapping