A SPORULATION GENE IN COXIELLA-BURNETTII

During a search for conserved target sequences on the genome of Coxiel la burnetii for a diagnostic PCR a NotI/EcoRV DNA fragment was cloned and sequenced from the isolate ''Nine Mile'', Phase I (sequence data a re registered under accession number X70045 in data bases EMBL, GENEBA NK and DDBJ). On this fragment we have found a sequence of 1741 base p airs which showed an exceptionally high homology (60 % on the nucleic acid level and 49.6 % on the amino acid level) to the sporulation gene ''spoIIIE'' of the grampositive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. This is first evidence of the molecular basis for formation of spores in Coxie lla burnetii which has been postulated in the literature by electron m icroscopic investigations.