ABSTRACT
The members of the genus Bordetella are small non-spore-forming Gram-negative aerobic coccobacilli. The regulation of virulence-associated antigens in the Bordetella bronchiseptica cluster is controlled by the Bordetella virulence genes (Bvg) regulon. In 1952, the distinct genus Bordetella was named in honor of Jules Bordet's foundational work. Bordetella avium, more distantly related to the B. bronchiseptica cluster, is found in the respiratory tract of birds and is a respiratory pathogen of poultry. Several different targets are utilized in Polymerase Chain Reaction testing of the Bordetella. The regulation of virulence in B. bronchiseptica has been studied in detail; and because the Bvg locus is interchangeable with that of B. pertussis, B. bronchiseptica has been used as a model for virulence regulation in the Bordetellae. Of the classically studied Bordetellae, B. avium is genetically the least related to B. pertussis and yet it shares similar pathogenic mechanisms and some of the same virulence factors.
