Whole genome sequencing reveals extended natural transformation in Campylobacter impacting diagnostics and the pathogens adaptive potential.

ABSTRACT: Campylobacter is the major bacterial agent of human gastroenteritis worldwide and represents a crucial global public health burden. Species differentiation of C. jejuni and C. coli and phylogenetic analysis is challenged by inter-species horizontal gene transfer. Routine real-time PCR on more than 4000 C. jejuni and C. coli field strains identified isolates with ambiguous PCR results for species differentiation, in particular, from the isolation source eggs. K-mer analysis of whole genome sequencing data indicated the presence of C. coli hybrid strains with huge amounts of C. jejuni introgression. Recombination events were distributed over the whole chromosome. MLST typing was impaired, since C. jejuni sequences were also found in six of the seven housekeeping genes. cgMLST suggested that

SUBMITTER: Golz JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7048796 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature