Creation of a Large Deletion Mutant of Campylobacter jejuni Reveals that the Lipooligosaccharide Gene Cluster Is Not Required for Viability

Deletion of the lipooligosaccharide biosynthesis region (Cj1132c to Cj1152c) from the genome of Campylobacter jejuni NCTC11168 shows that the core is not required for viability. The mutant was attenuated for growth and has increased sensitivity to antibiotics and detergents. Natural transformation and invasion of cultured host cells was abolished.