Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Characterization and Interventions for Foodborne Pathogens » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #344056
Research Project: Molecular Characterization of Foodborne Pathogen Responses to Stress

Location: Characterization and Interventions for Foodborne Pathogens

Title: Complete genome sequence of Campylobacter jejuni RM1246-ERRC that exhibits resistance to Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

Author
item Gunther, Nereus - Jack
item Reichenberger, Erin

Submitted to: Genome Announcements
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/8/2017
Publication Date: 9/21/2017
Citation: Gunther, N.W., Reichenberger, E.R. 2017. Complete genome sequence of Campylobacter jejuni RM1246-ERRC that exhibits resistance to Quaternary Ammonium Compounds. Genome Announcements. https://doi.org/10.1128/genomeA.00978-17.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/genomeA.00978-17

Interpretive Summary: Campylobacter jejuni is an important food-borne pathogen that is responsible for causing a significant amount of human disease annually. A large portion of the illnesses caused by this pathogen is due to cross-contamination of foods on kitchen surfaces during meal preparation. For this reason, it is important to thoroughly clean food preparation surfaces to block transmission of Campylobacter jejuni to humans. Recently, a strain of Campylobacter jejuni was found to be resistant to a group of common household sanitizers. Therefore, it is essential that we understand the mechanisms of this resistance and how Campylobacter jejuni becomes resistant to sanitizers. To this end the sequence of the entire genome (complete set of DNA) of the strain that exhibited resistance to the sanitizer was determined. Using this sequence, specific genes that have the potential for allowing the bacteria to survive the effects of the sanitizers use to clean food preparation surfaces are being identified. This information will allow for new sanitizers to be developed which can defeat the mechanisms that the bacteria have previously used to gain resistance to previous generations of sanitizers.

Technical Abstract: Campylobacter jejuni strain RM1246-ERRC is a clinical isolate. In laboratory experiments RM1246-ERRC exhibited resistance to the antimicrobial effects of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) when compared to other C. jejuni strains. The chromosome of RM1246-ERRC was determined to be 1,659,694 bp with a G+C content of 30.56%. The strain also possesses a 45,197 bp plasmid.