Detection of mixed infection from bacterial whole genome sequence data allows assessment of its role in Clostridium difficile transmission.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial whole genome sequencing offers the prospect of rapid and high precision investigation of infectious disease outbreaks. Close genetic relationships between microorganisms isolated from different infected cases suggest transmission is a strong possibility, whereas transmission between cases with genetically distinct bacterial isolates can be excluded. However, undetected mixed infections-infection with ≥2 unrelated strains of the same species where only one is sequenced-potentially impairs exclusion of transmission with certainty, and may therefore limit the utility of this technique. We investigated the problem by developing a computationally efficient method for detecting mixed infection without the need for resource-intensive independent sequencing of multiple bacterial colonies

SUBMITTER: Eyre DW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3642043 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature