Bordetella bronchiseptica (null)

Molecular Classification

Other (Gram-negative bacterium)

Other Names

Bordetella bronchiseptica, B. bronchiseptica

Disease Roles

Infection (especially respiratory infections in animals, rarely in humans)

Bordetella bronchiseptica Overview

Bordetella bronchiseptica is a small, Gram-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped bacterium commonly found in the respiratory tract of animals, especially dogs and cats, where it causes highly contagious respiratory disease (kennel cough in dogs, bordetellosis in cats); it can persist in the environment for extended periods and rarely causes infections in humans, primarily infecting the immunocompromised. Its pathogenicity is due to a suite of virulence factors (adhesins such as filamentous hemagglutinin, fimbriae, pertactin; toxins like dermonecrotic toxin; flagella), and its expression of virulence genes is tightly regulated by the BvgAS two-component regulatory system

Mechanism of Action

Inhibition of bacterial cell wall synthesis (by certain β-lactams), inhibition of protein synthesis (by tetracyclines and aminoglycosides), lytic activity (by bacteriophages)

Biological Functions

Infection

colonization

immune evasion

pathogenesis

Disease Associations

Infection (especially respiratory infections in animals, rarely in humans)

Safety Considerations

Antibiotic resistance
zoonotic transmission
persistence in the environment
inadequate response to macrolides and β-lactams

Interacting Drugs

Antibiotics (such as tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, some cephalosporins)

targeted bacteriophages

Associated Biomarkers

Biomarker
Detection by PCR targeting specific bacterial genes (such as flagellin gene); no standard host-based biomarkers used clinically