Whole-genome sequencing investigation of animal-skin-drum-associated UK anthrax cases reveals evidence of mixed populations and relatedness to a US case.

ABSTRACT: There have been two anthrax cases affecting people that played and/or made animal-skin drums in the UK during the last 10 years, with single fatal occurrences in Scotland in 2006 and London in 2008. Investigations by the Health Protection Agency (now Public Health England) employing multi-locus-variable number tandem repeat analysis had previously linked the clinical cases to spores associated with animal skins and drums the patients had been in contact with. In this study, whole-genome sequencing of 23 Bacillus anthracis isolates harvested during the investigations was performed. High-quality draft assemblies of these genomes provided greater characterization of the B. anthracis strains present and placed them all upon a new branch of the global phylogeny. Although closely r

SUBMITTER: Pullan ST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5320680 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature