Genotypic and phenotypic variation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa reveals signatures of secondary infection and mutator activity in certain cystic fibrosis patients with chronic lung infections.

ABSTRACT: Evolutionary adaptation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to the cystic fibrosis lung is limited by genetic variation, which depends on rates of horizontal gene transfer and mutation supply. Because each may increase following secondary infection or mutator emergence, we sought to ascertain the incidence of secondary infection and genetic variability in populations containing or lacking mutators. Forty-nine strains collected over 3 years from 16 patients were phenotyped for antibiotic resistance and mutator status and were genotyped by repetitive-sequence PCR (rep-PCR), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Though phenotypic and genetic polymorphisms were widespread and clustered more strongly within than between longitudinal series, their distribution rev

SUBMITTER: Warren AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3232663 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature