Differences in Blood-derived Francisella tularensis Type B Strains from Clinical Cases of Tularemia.

ABSTRACT: Francisella tularensis can cause the zoonotic disease tularemia and is partitioned into subspecies due to differences in chromosomal organization and virulence. The subspecies holarctica (type B) is generally considered more clonal than the other subpopulations with moderate virulence compared to the hypervirulent A.I clade. We performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) on six type B strains isolated from the blood of patients with tularemia within a one-year period from the same United States region, to better understand the associated pathogenicity. The WGS data were compared to the prototype strain for this subspecies, specifically FSC200, which was isolated from a patient with tularemia in Europe. These findings revealed 520-528 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between the six Unite

SUBMITTER: Larson MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7600085 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature