Use of whole-genome sequencing to identify clusters of Shigella flexneri associated with sexual transmission in men who have sex with men in England: a validation study using linked behavioural data.

ABSTRACT: Since the 1970s, shigellosis has been reported as a sexually transmissible infection, and in recent years, genomic data have revealed the breadth of Shigella spp. transmission among global networks of men who have sex with men (MSM). In 2015, Public Health England (PHE) introduced routine whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of Shigella spp. to identify transmission clusters. However, limited behavioural information for the cases hampers interpretation. We investigated whether WGS can distinguish between clusters representing sexual transmission in MSM and clusters representing community (non-sexual) transmission to inform infection control. WGS data for Shigella flexneri from August 2015 to July 2017 were aggregated into single linkage clusters based on SNP typing using a ra

SUBMITTER: Mitchell HD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6927305 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature