Isolation, antibiotic resistance, virulence traits and phylogenetic analysis of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis from goats in southwestern China

The Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, a gram-positive facultative intracellular bacteria, usually resulted in covert but huge economic losses in goats and sheep industry. Limited information is available rewardingly in southwestern China, one of the most important regions for goats production. This study reported for the first time the isolation and molecular characteristics of C. pseudotuberculosis from external abscess of goats in southwestern China, and found that (1) the isolation rate of C. pseudotuberculosis in abscess of goats was 39.22% (40/102), (2) all of isolated strains were sensitive to vancomycin, norfioxacin, cefradine, clarithromycin and cefepime, but resistant to nitrofurantoin and furazolidone, (3) the virulence or putative virulence genes including PLD, FagA, FagB, FagC, FagD, SigE, SpaC, SodC, PknG, NanH, OppA, OppB, OppC, OppD, OppF, CopC, NrdH and CpaE were presented in all C. pseudotuberculosis strains, (4) the housekeeping gene fusA can effectively differentiate biovar ovis from biovar equi in phylogenic analysis and can be employed for further epidemiological study of C. pseudotuberculosis. Briefly, this study provided the basic information for infection of C. pseudotuberculosis in goats and will help in controlling of this pathogen in southwestern China.