Amino Acid Metabolism in the Genus Bordetella

Summary: Bordetella pertussis, B. parapertussis and B. bronchiseptica all grow in an amino acid medium, using glutamate and forming ammonia from it. After the glutamate has been used, B. pertussis and B. parapertussis deaminate aspartic acid, serine, glycine, alanine and proline. B. bronchiseptica, as well as these amino acids, deaminates threonine, valine, methionine, the leucines and phenylalanine, leaving only histidine, lysine and arginine. B. bronchiseptica grows the most rapidly of the three and B. pertussis the most slowly. All three organisms oxidize glutamate to give CO2 and ammonia but in each some nitrogen is unaccounted for. B. bronchiseptica contains a glutamic decarboxylase and B. parapertussis forms a pink pigment from tyrosine.