Salmonella bongori Provides Insights into the Evolution of the Salmonellae
The genus Salmonella contains two species, S. bongori and S. enterica. Compared to the well-studied S. enterica there is a marked lack of information regarding the genetic makeup and diversity of S. bongori. S. bongori has been found predominantly associated with cold-blooded animals, but it can infect humans. To define the phylogeny of this species, and compare it to S. enterica, we have sequenced 28 isolates representing most of the known diversity of S. bongori. This cross-species analysis allowed us to confidently differentiate ancestral functions from those acquired following speciation, which include both metabolic and virulence-associated capacities. We show that, although S. bongori…
Yaws re-emergence and bacterial drug resistance selection after mass administration of azithromycin: a genomic epidemiology investigation
Summary Background In a longitudinal study assessing the WHO strategy for yaws eradication using mass azithromycin treatment, we observed resurgence of yaws cases with dominance of a single JG8 sequence type and emergence of azithromycin-resistant Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue (T p pertenue). Here, we analyse genomic changes in the bacterial population using samples collected during the study. Methods We did whole bacterial genome sequencing directly on DNA extracted from 37 skin lesion swabs collected from patients on Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea, between April 1, 2013, and Nov 1, 2016. We produced phylogenies and correlated these with spatiotemporal information to investigate t…
A genomic epidemiology investigation of yaws re-emergence and bacterial drug resistance selection
Abstract Background In a longitudinal study assessing the WHO strategy for yaws eradication using mass azithromycin treatment, we observed resurgence of yaws cases with dominance of a single JG8 sequence type and emergence of azithromycin-resistant Treponema pallidum. Here, we analyse genomic changes in the bacterial population using samples collected during the study. Methods We performed whole bacterial genome sequencing directly on DNA extracted from 37 lesion swabs collected from patients on Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea, between 2013 and 2016. We produced phylogenies and correlated these with temporo-spatial information to investigate the source of new cases and the emergence of five …