Determination of Evolutionary Relationships of Outbreak-Associated Listeria monocytogenes Strains of Serotypes 1/2a and 1/2b by Whole-Genome Sequencing.

ABSTRACT: We used whole-genome sequencing to determine evolutionary relationships among 20 outbreak-associated clinical isolates of Listeria monocytogenes serotypes 1/2a and 1/2b. Isolates from 6 of 11 outbreaks fell outside the clonal groups or "epidemic clones" that have been previously associated with outbreaks, suggesting that epidemic potential may be widespread in L. monocytogenes and is not limited to the recognized epidemic clones. Pairwise comparisons between epidemiologically related isolates within clonal complexes showed that genome-level variation differed by 2 orders of magnitude between different comparisons, and the distribution of point mutations (core versus accessory genome) also varied. In addition, genetic divergence between one closely related pair of isolates from a single out

SUBMITTER: Bergholz TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4725285 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature