Genomic epidemiology of Mycobacterium bovis infection in sympatric badger and cattle populations in Northern Ireland.

ABSTRACT: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a costly, epidemiologically complex, multi-host, endemic disease. Lack of understanding of transmission dynamics may undermine eradication efforts. Pathogen whole-genome sequencing improves epidemiological inferences, providing a means to determine the relative importance of inter- and intra-species host transmission for disease persistence. We sequenced an exceptional data set of 619 Mycobacterium bovis isolates from badgers and cattle in a 100 km² bTB 'hotspot' in Northern Ireland. Historical molecular subtyping data permitted the targeting of an endemic pathogen lineage, whose long-term persistence provided a unique opportunity to study disease transmission dynamics in unparalleled detail. Additionally, to assess whether badger population g

SUBMITTER: Akhmetova A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10272874 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature