Who infects whom?-Reconstructing infection chains of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis in an endemically infected dairy herd by use of genomic data.

ABSTRACT: Recent evidence of circulation of multiple strains within herds and mixed infections of cows marks the beginning of a rethink of our knowledge on Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) epidemiology. Strain typing opens new ways to investigate MAP transmission. This work presents a method for reconstructing infection chains in a setting of endemic Johne's disease on a well-managed dairy farm. By linking genomic data with demographic field data, strain-specific differences in spreading patterns could be quantified for a densely sampled dairy herd. Mixed infections of dairy cows with MAP are common, and some strains spread more successfully. Infected cows remain susceptible for co-infections with other MAP genotypes. The model suggested that cows acquired infection from 1-4 other cow

SUBMITTER: Nigsch A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8118464 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature