DIFFERENTIATION OF BORDETELLA-PERTUSSIS, B-PARAPERTUSSIS, AND B-BRONCHISEPTICA BY WHOLE-CELL PROTEIN ELECTROPHORESIS AND FATTY-ACID ANALYSIS

One-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophore sis of whole-cell proteins and gas-liquid chromatography of cellular f atty acids were used to determine chemotaxonomic characteristics of st rains belonging to Bordetella pertussis, Bordetella parapertussis, and Bordetella bronchiseptica. Species-specific protein patterns and fatt y acid profiles were found. Only B. bronchiseptica strains contained 1 2:0 2OH, 18:1 omega 7c, and 19:0 cycle, and the presence of 10:0 3OH w as a unique feature of B. pertussis and B. parapertussis strains. The latter two species were differentiated by the absence of 17:0 cycle in B. pertussis strains. These chemotaxonomic data acid the multiple dif ferences in the classical phenotypes of these three species do not cor relate with the high DNA homology values. Our findings support the pre sent status of the three taxa as different species and emphasize the i mportance of a polyphasic approach in bacterial classification.