Flagellin typing of Bordetella bronchiseptica strains originating from different host species

•We have examined the diversity of flagellin genes of B. bronchiseptica strains.•The PCR-RFLP revealed eight flaA types, the sequence analysis showed four clusters.•All but one B. bronchiseptica strains from swine showed type B fragment pattern.•The Hungarian isolates of canine origin were uniform (type A).•The diversity of strains from humans indicated the zoonotic impact of B. bronchiseptica.

Bordetella bronchiseptica is a widespread Gram-negative pathogen occurring in different mammal species. It is known to play a role in the aetiology of infectious atrophic rhinitis of swine, canine kennel cough, respiratory syndromes of cats, rabbits and guinea pigs, and sporadic human cases have also been reported. In this study, 93 B. bronchiseptica strains were examined from a broad range of host species and different geographical regions using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of polymerase chain reaction products of flaA to reveal the possible host-specificity of the flagellin. Eight types (A-H) of flaA were identified, including five newly described ones (D-H). All but one of the 22 B. bronchiseptica strains from swine showed type B fragment pattern. The eighteen Hungarian isolates of canine origin were uniform (type A) while in other countries type B and D were also present in dogs. The sequence and phylogenetic analysis of 36 representative strains of flaA types revealed four clusters. These clusters correlated with flaA PCR-RFLP types and host species, especially in pigs and dogs. The revealed diversity of the strains isolated from human cases indicated possible zoonotic transmissions from various animal sources.