This project is funded jointly by the USDA and NSF Microbial Genome Sequencing Project Initiative.
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The genus Bordetella causes
highly contagious respiratory infections in mammals and birds.
Bordetella avium causes a disease in birds which is similar to
whooping cough in children and has a great impact on the turkey industry
in this country. The entire DNA sequence of this poultry pathogen has been determined: a link to the project is here. The chromosomal sequence will be used to identify potential genes involved in disease causation, helping pave the way for vaccine development. Understanding how this bacterium causes disease in its natural host may help in understanding how other Bordetellae cause disease in their respective hosts, where it is more difficult to test in the natural host. Scientists will use the data in evolutionary comparisons between different bacterial species. The project is promoting educational and collaborative work. Sequencing and annotation were performed at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Centre, Cambridge, England. An annual seminar featuring well-known scientists has exposed students at Drew University and JMU to important developments in the field of genomics: 2004 Seminar; 2005 Seminar. Nine students were awarded internships with Bordetella collaborators at research institutions in the US and abroad. Click here for a list of internship mentors. Click here for historical internship information. |