0000000000148133
AUTHOR
Beatriz Beamud
showing 7 related works from this author
One is not enough: On the effects of reference genome for the mapping and subsequent analyses of short-reads.
2020
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…
Characterization of new recombinant forms of HIV-1 from the Comunitat Valenciana (Spain) by phylogenetic incongruence
2019
Recombination is one of the main processes shaping the evolution of HIV-1, with relevant consequences for its epidemiology. In fact, Circulating and Unique Recombinant Forms (CRFs and URFs) cause 23% of current infections. The routine analyses of antiretroviral resistance yield partial pol gene sequences that can be exploited for molecular epidemiology surveillance but also to study viral diversity and to detect potential recombinant samples. Among the pol sequences derived from a large sample dataset from the Comunitat Valenciana (Spain), we identified nine putative recombinant samples. We aimed at fully characterizing these samples and performing a detailed analysis of the corresponding r…
Isolation of Four Lytic Phages Infecting Klebsiella pneumoniae K22 Clinical Isolates from Spain
2020
This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophage—Molecular Studies.
Inference of the Life Cycle of Environmental Phages from Genomic Signature Distances to Their Hosts
2023
The environmental impact of uncultured phages is shaped by their preferred life cycle (lytic or lysogenic). However, our ability to predict it is very limited. We aimed to discriminate between lytic and lysogenic phages by comparing the similarity of their genomic signatures to those of their hosts, reflecting their co-evolution. We tested two approaches: (1) similarities of tetramer relative frequencies, (2) alignment-free comparisons based on exact k = 14 oligonucleotide matches. First, we explored 5126 reference bacterial host strains and 284 associated phages and found an approximate threshold for distinguishing lysogenic and lytic phages using both oligonucleotide-based methods. The an…
Learning From Mistakes: The Role of Phages in Pandemics
2021
The misuse of antibiotics is leading to the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, and in the absence of available treatments, this has become a major global threat. In the middle of the recent severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, which has challenged the whole world, the emergence of MDR bacteria is increasing due to prophylactic administration of antibiotics to intensive care unit patients to prevent secondary bacterial infections. This is just an example underscoring the need to seek alternative treatments against MDR bacteria. To this end, phage therapy has been proposed as a promising tool. However, further research in the field is mandatory to assure…
Isolation and Characterization of Two Klebsiella pneumoniae Phages Encoding Divergent Depolymerases
2020
The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria is a major global health concern. The search for new therapies has brought bacteriophages into the spotlight, and new phages are being described as possible therapeutic agents. Among the bacteria that are most extensively resistant to current antibiotics is Klebsiella pneumoniae, whose hypervariable extracellular capsule makes treatment particularly difficult. Here, we describe two new K. pneumoniae phages, &pi
Genomic Analysis of Bacterial Outbreaks
2016
The study of outbreaks of infectious diseases has been revolutionized by the current availability of fast and efficient, high-throughput methods capable of yielding the nucleotide sequence of complete genomes of viruses and bacteria within a few days, or even hours. These methods are replacing previous molecular techniques which have been used for the past 30 years, although many of them are still the usual approach for many such investigations. Here we review the major technologies currently in use for high-throughput sequencing of bacterial genomes emphasizing their advantages and drawbacks for the analysis of outbreaks. The use of more efficient methods does not necessarily mean that all…