Sequence heterogeneity of the major antigenic protein 1 genes from Cowdria ruminantium isolates from different geographical areas

The genes for the immunodominant major antigenic protein 1 (MAP1) of Cowdria ruminantium from four African and two Caribbean isolates were cloned, restriction mapped, and sequenced to identify conserved epitopes for development of serodiagnostic tools for heartwater. Restriction length polymorphisms were observed among the respective MAP1 genes analyzed and were confirmed by sequencing. The sequence data generated for these isolates were compared with data for the previously reported Senegal isolate MAP1 gene. These sequences were found to differ from each other by 0.6 to 14.0%. These differences translate into a 0.8 to 10.0% variation in the predicted protein sequence. In the entire coding sequence, several amino acid substitutions were identified in addition to deletions or insertions at three regions of the gene. These variable regions are referred to as variable regions I, II, and III. From the sequence data, an evolutionary distance tree was constructed; this tree suggested that at least two genetically distinct C. ruminantium strains exist in the Caribbean: the isolate from Antigua is similar to that from Senegal, while the isolate from Guadeloupe is closely related to that from Sudan.