Brucella abortus S19 genome sequenced; points toward virulence genes

Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech and the National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, and collaborators at 454 Life Sciences of Branford, Conn., have sequenced the genome of Brucella abortus strain S19. Strain S19 is a naturally occurring strain of B. abortus that does not cause disease and was discovered by Dr. John Buck in 1923. It has been used for more than six decades as vaccine that protects cattle against brucellosis, an infectious disease caused by other strains of B. abortus that leads to reproductive failure in livestock.