000402 Scientists Track Down Bacteria GenesApril 8, 2000Washington - Scientists have identified the genes of a bacteria that causes multiple diseases in people, poultry, cattle and swine, USDA said. “This research breakthrough could lead to early detection and prevention, reducing the hundred of millions dollars farmers lose each year because of the diseases caused by this one bacterium,” USDA administrator I. Miley Gonzalez said in a news release. The gene composition of the bacteria Pasteurella multocida was discovered by researchers at the University of Minnesota. Pasteurella multocida causes fowl cholera in chickens and turkeys as well as fatal respiratory diseases in cattle, poultry and swine. In poultry alone, annual losses are estimated at $200 million for U.S. farmers, the USDA said. “We now know its entire complement of genes, including those that enable it to cause disease and survive in the host,” said Vivek Kapur, who led the university's research team. “This knowledge is likely to enable development of new generations of diagnostic tests, vaccines and antibiotic agents.” The pathogen also infects people, mainly children, who are bitten by dogs and cats. According to the USDA, about half of all cat bites and 20 percent of dog bites result in infection with Pasteurella multocida, requiring treatment with antibiotics. The project, which began in July 1998, is funded by the USDA and the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association.
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