Rapid host switching in generalist Campylobacter strains erodes the signal for tracing human infections.

ABSTRACT: Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are the biggest causes of bacterial gastroenteritis in the developed world, with human infections typically arising from zoonotic transmission associated with infected meat. Because Campylobacter is not thought to survive well outside the gut, host-associated populations are genetically isolated to varying degrees. Therefore, the likely origin of most strains can be determined by host-associated variation in the genome. This is instructive for characterizing the source of human infection. However, some common strains, notably isolates belonging to the ST-21, ST-45 and ST-828 clonal complexes, appear to have broad host ranges, hindering source attribution. Here whole-genome sequencing has the potential to reveal fine-scale genetic structure associ

SUBMITTER: Dearlove BL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4677457 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature