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Bordetella bronchisepticaRANK: SpeciesTAXONOMY: Bacteria -> Proteobacteria -> Betaproteobacteria -> Burkholderiales -> Alcaligenaceae -> Bordetella -> Bordetella bronchiseptica OVERVIEW: Bordetella bronchiseptica is a small, Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium of the genus Bordetella. It can cause infectious bronchitis in dogs and other animals, but rarely infects humans. Closely related to B. pertussis—the obligate human pathogen that causes pertussis (whooping cough); B. bronchiseptica can persist in the environment for extended periods. Humans are not natural carriers of B. bronchiseptica, which typically infects the respiratory tracts of smaller mammals (cats, dogs, rabbits, etc.). People are more likely to be infected by B. pertussis or B. parapertussis. Unlike B. pertussis, B. bronchiseptica is generally resistant to macrolide antibiotics. It is also generally resistant to cephalosporins. Some human cases have been successfully treated with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and fluoroquinolones. B. bronchiseptica does not express pertussis toxin, which is one of the characteristic virulence factors of B. pertussis, but it has the genes to do so, highlighting the close evolutionary relationship between the two species. |