Genomics of Clostridium tetani

Genomic information about Clostridium tetani, the causative agent of the tetanus disease, is scarce. The genome of strain E88, a strain used vaccine production, was sequenced about 10 years ago. One additional genome (strain 12124569) has recently been released. Here we three new genomes of C. tetani and describe major differences among all five C. tetani genomes. They all harbor plasmids that contain highly conserved genes for TeNT (tetanus toxin), TetR (transcriptional regulator of TeNT) and ColT (collagenase), substantially differ in other plasmid regions. The chromosomes share a large core genome that contains about 85% of all genes of a chromosome. The non-core chromosome comprises mainly prophage-like genomic regions and genes encoding environmental interaction defense functions (e.g. surface proteins, restriction-modification systems, toxin-antitoxin systems, CRISPR/Cas systems) and other functions (e.g. transport systems, metabolic activities). This new genome information will help to assess the level of genome plasticity of species C. tetani and provide the basis for detailed comparative studies. (C) 2015 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.