1887

Abstract

Variability in the genes for toxin A, toxin B and other pathogenicity locus regions is well known and is the basis for the distribution of strains into variant toxinotypes. Previous data have indicated that some strains have a non-functional truncated form of the binary toxin (CDT) locus. This study analysed variability in the CDT locus and the presence of deleted genes in strains. A total of 146 strains were screened, including known variant toxinotypes and non-variant AB (toxinotype 0) and AB strains. In all of the strains studied, only two forms of the CDT locus were found: a full-length 4.3 kb fragment encoding the functional binary toxin or a truncated 2.3 kb fragment. Whilst the full-length CDT locus was found almost exclusively in variant toxinotypes, the truncated form was detected in 79 % of toxinotype 0 strains. Non-toxinogenic AB strains with a truncated version were not found and only rarely possessed the full-length CDT locus (ABCDT strains). Four different forms of the gene were found; three represented deleted versions and typically were found in toxinotypes III–VII, XI, XIV–XVI and XXIV.

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2007-03-01
2024-03-29
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