Phylogenomics of Enterococcus faecalis from wild birds: new insights into host‐associated differences in core and accessory genomes of the species

Wild birds have been suggested to be reservoirs of antimicrobial resistant and/or pathogenic Enterococcus faecalis (Efs) strains, but the scarcity of studies and available sequences limit our understanding of the population structure of the species in these hosts. Here, we analysed the clonal and plasmid diversity of 97 Efs isolates from wild migratory birds. We found a high diversity, with most sequence types (STs) being firstly described here, while others were found in other hosts including some predominant in poultry. We found that pheromone‐responsive plasmids predominate in wild bird Efs while 35% of the isolates entirely lack plasmids. Then, to better understand the ecology of the sp…

One is not enough: On the effects of reference genome for the mapping and subsequent analyses of short-reads.

Mapping of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) reads to a single arbitrary reference genome is a frequently used approach in microbial genomics. However, the choice of a reference may represent a source of errors that may affect subsequent analyses such as the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and phylogenetic inference. In this work, we evaluated the effect of reference choice on short-read sequence data from five clinically and epidemiologically relevant bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens). Publicly available whole-genome assemblies encompassing the genomic diversity of these species…

Is there a widespread clone of Serratia marcescens producing outbreaks worldwide?

[Background]: Serratia marcescens frequently causes outbreaks in healthcare settings. There are few studies using high-throughput sequencing (HTS) that analyse S. marcescens outbreaks. We present the analysis of two outbreaks in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in hospitals from the Comunitat Valenciana (CV, Spain) and the impact of using different reference genomes.

The power and limitations of genomic surveillance of bacteria.

Molecular evolution and complete genome sequences in forensic analysis: Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a transmission case

Molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic analyses are frequently used in the investigation of viral transmission cases in forensic contexts. Here, we present the methods and results of the analysis of a bacterial transmission in an alleged child abuse case using complete genome sequences obtained by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) methods.

Use of next generation sequencing technologies for the diagnosis and epidemiology of infectious diseases

[ES]: Por primera vez, la tecnología de secuenciación masiva permite acceder a la información genómica a un precio y a una escala tales, que se está implementado en la práctica clínica y epidemiológica rutinaria. Los obstáculos para dicha implementación son todavía muchos. Sin embargo, ya existen muchos ejemplos de las grandes ventajas que supone en comparación con métodos anteriores. Esto es, sobre todo, porque con una sola determinación podemos obtener simultáneamente información epidemiológica del microorganismo causante, así como de su perfil de resistencias, si bien estas ventajas están más o menos desarrolladas según el patógeno considerado. En esta revisión se repasan varios ejemplos…

Whole-genome sequencing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a forensic transmission case.

Abstract Molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic analyses are frequently used in the investigation of viral transmission cases in forensic contexts. Here, we present the methods and results of the analysis of a bacterial transmission episode in an alleged child abuse case using complete genome sequences obtained by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) methods. We obtained genomes of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from the victim, the suspect, and 29 unrelated controls. The analysis of the genomes revealed that the victim and suspect isolates had identical sequences in both the bacterial chromosome and the single plasmid present in them. One of the local controls was very similar (differing in only 2 SNP…