AOAC SPADA February 2015 Meeting Book

STAKEHOLDER PANEL ON Agent detection assay:PCR Background & Fitness for Purpose Coxiella burnetii

James E. Samuel, PhD Professor and Chair, TAMHSC February 3, 2015 

 Legionellales, obligate intracellular parasite  G ti ith LPS Ph I d Ph II ram nega ve w : ase an ase  Metabolically active axenically, esp. at lower pH  Life cycle: LCV and SCV  Acute (>50% seroconvert-asymptomatic) and chronic infectious disease  Broad zoonotic reservoir; high seropositivity rate  Typical route of infection via aerosol of contaminated soils  R li t i “ d l d” h l lik l ep ca es n a remo e e p ago ysosome- e vacou e  Genomic predictions * : ~2150 ORFs  Complete TCA, various aa auxotrophs  Large group of transporters  Proteomic skew to high pI  Complete Type 4 secretion element  >200 genes with single/point mutation “pseudogene” *Seshadri et al. PNAS 2003 Baca et al. 1984