Prophage-Driven Genomic Structural Changes Promote Bartonella Vertical Evolution.

ABSTRACT: Bartonella is a genetically diverse group of vector-borne bacteria. Over 40 species have been characterized to date, mainly from mammalian reservoirs and arthropod vectors. Rodent reservoirs harbor one of the largest Bartonella diversity described to date, and novel species and genetic variants are continuously identified from these hosts. Yet, it is still unknown if this significant genetic diversity stems from adaptation to different niches or from intrinsic high mutation rates. Here, we explored the vertical occurrence of spontaneous genomic alterations in 18 lines derived from two rodent-associated Bartonella elizabethae-like strains, evolved in nonselective agar plates under conditions mimicking their vector- and mammalian-associated temperatures, and the transmission cycles between t

SUBMITTER: Gutierrez R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6257571 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature