Identification of Rickettsiae Isolated in Japan as Coxiella burnetii by 16S rRNA Sequencing

The 16S rRNA genes of Japanese Coxiella isolates obtained from various sources and geographical areas were directly sequenced by dideoxynucleotide chain termination methods in which Taq DNA polymerase was used. The levels of sequence similarity among Japanese, European, and American isolates were more than 99%, and the Japanese isolates were identified as Coxiella burnetii, C. burnetii strains isolated worldwide, including Japan, were found to be very similar.