Agren_2014_PLoS.One_9_e89112

Reference

Title : Microevolution during an Anthrax outbreak leading to clonal heterogeneity and penicillin resistance - Agren_2014_PLoS.One_9_e89112
Author(s) : Agren J , Finn M , Bengtsson B , Segerman B
Ref : PLoS ONE , 9 :e89112 , 2014
Abstract :

Anthrax is a bacterial disease primarily affecting grazing animals but it can also cause severe disease in humans. We have used genomic epidemiology to study microevolution of the bacterium in a confined outbreak in cattle which involved emergence of an antibiotic-resistant phenotype. At the time of death, the animals contained a heterogeneous population of Single Nucleotide Variants (SNVs), some being clonal but most being subclonal. We found that independent isolates from the same carcass had similar levels of SNV differences as isolates from different animals. Furthermore the relative levels of subclonal populations were different in different locations in the same carcass. The heterogeneity appeared to be derived in part from heterogeneity in the infectious dose. The resistance phenotype was linked to clonal mutations in an anti-sigma factor gene and in one case was preceded by an acquisition of a hypermutator phenotype. In another animal, small subclonal populations were observed with counteracting mutations that had turned off the resistance genes. In summary, this study shows the importance of accounting for both acquired and inherited heterogeneity when doing high-resolution infection tracing and when estimating the risks associated with penicillin treatment.

PubMedSearch : Agren_2014_PLoS.One_9_e89112
PubMedID: 24551231
Gene_locus related to this paper: bacan-BA2392 , bacan-BA4324 , bacce-BC2171

Related information

Gene_locus bacan-BA2392    bacan-BA4324    bacce-BC2171

Citations formats

Agren J, Finn M, Bengtsson B, Segerman B (2014)
Microevolution during an Anthrax outbreak leading to clonal heterogeneity and penicillin resistance
PLoS ONE 9 :e89112

Agren J, Finn M, Bengtsson B, Segerman B (2014)
PLoS ONE 9 :e89112