ORCID Profile
0000-0002-4958-2166
Current Organisation
University of St Andrews
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 29-04-2017
DOI: 10.1093/CID/CIX072
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date: 07-11-2018
Abstract: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a substantial threat to human health worldwide and evolves rapidly by acquiring mobile genetic elements, such as plasmids. Here we investigate how the copB - mco copper hypertolerance operon carried on a mobile genetic element contributes to the virulence potential of clinical isolates of MRSA. Copper is a key component of innate immune bactericidal defenses. Here we show that copper hypertolerance genes enhance the survival of S. aureus inside primed macrophages and in whole human blood. The copB and mco genes are carried by clinical isolates responsible for invasive infections across Europe, and more broadly among three successful clonal lineages of S. aureus . Our findings show that a gain of copper hypertolerance genes increases the resistance of MRSA to phagocytic killing by host immune cells and imply that acquisition of this mobile genetic element can contribute to the success of MRSA.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-05-2019
Publisher: Microbiology Society
Date: 13-06-2017
Publisher: EMBO
Date: 25-03-2013
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 18-09-2014
Abstract: Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp) is the causative agent of the infectious disease melioidosis. To investigate population ersity, recombination, and horizontal gene transfer in closely related Bp isolates, we performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on 106 clinical, animal, and environmental strains from a restricted Asian locale. Whole-genome phylogenies resolved multiple genomic clades of Bp, largely congruent with multilocus sequence typing (MLST). We discovered widespread recombination in the Bp core genome, involving hundreds of regions associated with multiple haplotypes. Highly recombinant regions exhibited functional enrichments that may contribute to virulence. We observed clade-specific patterns of recombination and accessory gene exchange, and provide evidence that this is likely due to ongoing recombination between clade members. Reciprocally, interclade exchanges were rarely observed, suggesting mechanisms restricting gene flow between clades. Interrogation of accessory elements revealed that each clade harbored a distinct complement of restriction-modification (RM) systems, predicted to cause clade-specific patterns of DNA methylation. Using methylome sequencing, we confirmed that representative strains from separate clades indeed exhibit distinct methylation profiles. Finally, using an E. coli system, we demonstrate that Bp RM systems can inhibit uptake of non-self DNA. Our data suggest that RM systems borne on mobile elements, besides preventing foreign DNA invasion, may also contribute to limiting exchanges of genetic material between in iduals of the same species. Genomic clades may thus represent functional units of genetic isolation in Bp, modulating intraspecies genetic ersity.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 20-07-2010
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-09-2022
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-022-32929-2
Abstract: The genus Serratia has been studied for over a century and includes clinically-important and erse environmental members. Despite this, there is a paucity of genomic information across the genus and a robust whole genome-based phylogenetic framework is lacking. Here, we have assembled and analysed a representative set of 664 genomes from across the genus, including 215 historic isolates originally used in defining the genus. Phylogenomic analysis of the genus reveals a clearly-defined population structure which displays deep isions and aligns with ecological niche, as well as striking congruence between historical biochemical phenotyping data and contemporary genomics data. We highlight the genomic, phenotypic and plasmid ersity of Serratia , and provide evidence of different patterns of gene flow across the genus. Our work provides a framework for understanding the emergence of clinical and other lineages of Serratia .
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-01-2009
Abstract: Streptococcus uberis , a Gram positive bacterial pathogen responsible for a significant proportion of bovine mastitis in commercial dairy herds, colonises multiple body sites of the cow including the gut, genital tract and mammary gland. Comparative analysis of the complete genome sequence of S. uberis strain 0140J was undertaken to help elucidate the biology of this effective bovine pathogen. The genome revealed 1,825 predicted coding sequences (CDSs) of which 62 were identified as pseudogenes or gene fragments. Comparisons with related pyogenic streptococci identified a conserved core (40%) of orthologous CDSs. Intriguingly, S. uberis 0140J displayed a lower number of mobile genetic elements when compared with other pyogenic streptococci, however bacteriophage-derived islands and a putative genomic island were identified. Comparative genomics analysis revealed most similarity to the genomes of Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus . In contrast, streptococcal orthologs were not identified for 11% of the CDSs, indicating either unique retention of ancestral sequence, or acquisition of sequence from alternative sources. Functions including transport, catabolism, regulation and CDSs encoding cell envelope proteins were over-represented in this unique gene set a limited array of putative virulence CDSs were identified. S. uberis utilises nutritional flexibility derived from a ersity of metabolic options to successfully occupy a discrete ecological niche. The features observed in S. uberis are strongly suggestive of an opportunistic pathogen adapted to challenging and changing environmental parameters.
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date: 09-2014
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.01219-14
Abstract: We used whole-genome sequencing to evaluate 69 independent colonies of Burkholderia pseudomallei isolated from seven body sites of a patient with acute disseminated melioidosis. Fourteen closely related genotypes were found, providing evidence for the rapid in vivo ersification of B. pseudomallei after inoculation and systemic spread.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-2001
DOI: 10.1038/35101607
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 17-07-2014
DOI: 10.1093/JAC/DKU271
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-05-2015
DOI: 10.3109/17483107.2015.1042077
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate of how assistive cutlery design effects perception of the user. Studies regarding the usage and development of assistive cutlery have primarily focused on the ergonomics, whereas research into the aesthetics of assistive cutlery has been minimal. A method based on Canter's "Room Inference Protocol" from the field of environmental psychology was used to evaluate the aesthetics of the assistive cutlery. A series of images were digitally composited and a survey was deployed online, with an outcome of 562 usable responses. The results demonstrated that the female model with assistive cutlery was perceived to be less attractive, less stylish and less sporty in comparison with the male model that was utilising identical pieces of assistive cutlery. The research contributes to the existing literature in the field, complimenting the study by Torrens and Smith and validating the need for greater aesthetic consideration in addition to an ergonomically acceptable response for assistive cutlery. This in turn highlights the importance of industrial design for the context and adaptations of use, rather than just a design response given to the physical manifestation of a product. Implications for Rehabilitation Reduced grip can be not only physically debilitating but also socially isolating through stigmatisation. Current assistive cutlery may be ergonomically sound, but aesthetically lacking. Large, multinational study demonstrates significant gender effect relating to the perception of women using these devices.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 23-11-2011
DOI: 10.1093/NAR/GKR1032
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 2006
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 09-12-2014
Abstract: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of nosocomial infection. Whole-genome sequencing of MRSA has been used to define phylogeny and transmission in well-resourced healthcare settings, yet the greatest burden of nosocomial infection occurs in resource-restricted settings where barriers to transmission are lower. Here, we study the flux and genetic ersity of MRSA on ward and in idual patient levels in a hospital where transmission was common. We repeatedly screened all patients on two intensive care units for MRSA carriage over a 3-mo period. All MRSA belonged to multilocus sequence type 239 (ST 239). We defined the population structure and charted the spread of MRSA by sequencing 79 isolates from 46 patients and five members of staff, including the first MRSA-positive screen isolates and up to two repeat isolates where available. Phylogenetic analysis identified a flux of distinct ST 239 clades over time in each intensive care unit. In total, five main clades were identified, which varied in the carriage of plasmids encoding antiseptic and antimicrobial resistance determinants. Sequence data confirmed intra- and interwards transmission events and identified in idual patients who were colonized by more than one clade. One patient on each unit was the source of numerous transmission events, and deep s ling of one of these cases demonstrated colonization with a “cloud” of related MRSA variants. The application of whole-genome sequencing and analysis provides novel insights into the transmission of MRSA in under-resourced healthcare settings and has relevance to wider global health.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-07-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41588-019-0482-Z
Abstract: An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 08-01-2013
Abstract: The widespread use of antibiotics in association with high-density clinical care has driven the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria that are adapted to thrive in hospitalized patients. Of particular concern are globally disseminated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clones that cause outbreaks and epidemics associated with health care. The most rapidly spreading and tenacious health-care-associated clone in Europe currently is EMRSA-15, which was first detected in the UK in the early 1990s and subsequently spread throughout Europe and beyond. Using phylogenomic methods to analyze the genome sequences for 193 S. aureus isolates, we were able to show that the current pandemic population of EMRSA-15 descends from a health-care-associated MRSA epidemic that spread throughout England in the 1980s, which had itself previously emerged from a primarily community-associated methicillin-sensitive population. The emergence of fluoroquinolone resistance in this EMRSA-15 subclone in the English Midlands during the mid-1980s appears to have played a key role in triggering pandemic spread, and occurred shortly after the first clinical trials of this drug. Genome-based coalescence analysis estimated that the population of this subclone over the last 20 yr has grown four times faster than its progenitor. Using comparative genomic analysis we identified the molecular genetic basis of 99.8% of the antimicrobial resistance phenotypes of the isolates, highlighting the potential of pathogen genome sequencing as a diagnostic tool. We document the genetic changes associated with adaptation to the hospital environment and with increasing drug resistance over time, and how MRSA evolution likely has been influenced by country-specific drug use regimens.
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date: 24-12-2019
Abstract: The Bengal Bay clone (ST772) is a community-associated and multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus lineage first isolated from Bangladesh and India in 2004. In this study, we showed that the Bengal Bay clone emerged from a virulent progenitor circulating on the Indian subcontinent. Its subsequent global transmission was associated with travel or family contact in the region. ST772 progressively acquired specific resistance elements at limited cost to its fitness and continues to be exported globally, resulting in small-scale community and health care outbreaks. The Bengal Bay clone therefore combines the virulence potential and epidemiology of community-associated clones with the multidrug resistance of health care-associated S. aureus lineages. This study demonstrates the importance of whole-genome sequencing for the surveillance of highly antibiotic-resistant pathogens, which may emerge in the community setting of regions with poor antibiotic stewardship and rapidly spread into hospitals and communities across the world.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2021
Publisher: Microbiology Society
Date: 11-07-2016
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 09-07-2018
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.02574-14
Abstract: Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates with shared multilocus sequence types (STs) have not been isolated from different continents. We identified two STs shared between Australia and Cambodia. Whole-genome analysis revealed substantial ersity within STs, correctly identified the Asian or Australian origin, and confirmed that these shared STs were due to homoplasy.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-11-2008
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.CMI.2018.12.036
Abstract: With the widespread use of antiseptics in healthcare facilities for the prevention of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) transmission, there are concerns for antiseptic tolerance and resistance. We sought to understand the use of chlorhexidine and octenidine, carriage of qac genes, and reduced antiseptic susceptibilities. A serial cross-sectional study was conducted in an acute care hospital and three extended-care facilities of a healthcare network in June-July, 2014-2016. Two of the extended-care facilities were exposed to intranasal octenidine and universal daily chlorhexidine/octenidine bathing. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) levels and qac genes were determined by broth microdilution tests and whole genome sequencing respectively. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess for the independent associations between antiseptic exposures, qac genes, and reduced antiseptic susceptibilities. A total of 878 MRSA isolates were obtained. There were associations between qacA/B carriage and chlorhexidine (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 7.80 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.25-18.71) and octenidine (aOR 11.79 95% CI 5.14-27.04) exposures. Chlorhexidine exposure was associated with reduced chlorhexidine susceptibility (MIC ≥4 mg/L) (aOR 3.15 95% CI 1.14-8.74). Carriage of qacA/B (aOR 10.65 95% CI 4.14-27.40) or qacC (aOR 2.55 95% CI 1.22-5.32) had an association with reduced chlorhexidine susceptibility while MRSA sequence type modified the association. However, we found no direct association between (i) antiseptics use and qacC carriage, (ii) octenidine exposure and reduced susceptibility, and (iii) reduced octenidine susceptibility and qacA/B or qacC carriage. Antiseptic exposures were associated with carriage of qac genes. Chlorhexidine exposure was associated with reduced chlorhexidine susceptibility, requiring continued surveillance for the emergence of resistance.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-01-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-01-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-05-2015
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date: 12-2015
DOI: 10.1128/AAC.01469-15
Abstract: β-Lactam resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is mediated by the expression of an alternative penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a) (encoded by mecA ) with a low affinity for β-lactam antibiotics. Recently, a novel variant of mecA , known as mecC , was identified in MRSA isolates from both humans and animals. In this study, we demonstrate that mecC -encoded PBP2c does not mediate resistance to penicillin. Rather, broad-spectrum β-lactam resistance in MRSA strains carrying mecC ( mecC -MRSA strains) is mediated by a combination of both PBP2c and the distinct β-lactamase encoded by the blaZ gene of strain LGA251 ( blaZ LGA251 ), which is part of mecC -encoding staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCC mec ) type XI. We further demonstrate that mecC -MRSA strains are susceptible to the combination of penicillin and the β-lactam inhibitor clavulanic acid in vitro and that the same combination is effective in vivo for the treatment of experimental mecC -MRSA infection in wax moth larvae. Thus, we demonstrate how the distinct biological differences between mecA - and mecC -encoded PBP2a and PBP2c have the potential to be exploited as a novel approach for the treatment of mecC -MRSA infections.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-1999
DOI: 10.1046/J.1365-2958.1999.01577.X
Abstract: In cell-free Pseudomonas aeruginosa culture supernatants, we identified two compounds capable of activating an N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) biosensor. Mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy revealed that these compounds were not AHLs but the diketopiperazines (DKPs), cyclo(DeltaAla-L-Val) and cyclo(L-Pro-L-Tyr) respectively. These compounds were also found in cell-free supernatants from Proteus mirabilis, Citrobacter freundii and Enterobacter agglomerans [cyclo(DeltaAla-L-Val) only]. Although both DKPs were absent from Pseudomonas fluorescens and Pseudomonas alcaligenes, we isolated, from both pseudomonads, a third DKP, which was chemically characterized as cyclo(L-Phe-L-Pro). Dose-response curves using a LuxR-based AHL biosensor indicated that cyclo(DeltaAla-L-Val), cyclo(L-Pro-L-Tyr) and cyclo(L-Phe-L-Pro) activate the biosensor in a concentration-dependent manner, albeit at much higher concentrations than the natural activator N-(3-oxohexanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C6-HSL). Competition studies showed that cyclo(DeltaAla-L-Val), cyclo(L-Pro-L-Tyr) and cyclo(L-Phe-L-Pro) antagonize the 3-oxo-C6-HSL-mediated induction of bioluminescence, suggesting that these DKPs may compete for the same LuxR-binding site. Similarly, DKPs were found to be capable of activating or antagonizing other LuxR-based quorum-sensing systems, such as the N-butanoylhomoserine lactone-dependent swarming motility of Serratia liquefaciens. Although the physiological role of these DKPs has yet to be established, their activity suggests the existence of cross talk among bacterial signalling systems.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.JGAR.2016.04.004
Abstract: The evolution of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from meticillin-susceptible S. aureus has been a result of the accumulation of genetic elements under selection pressure from antibiotics. The traditional classification of MRSA into healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) and community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) is no longer relevant as there is significant overlap of identical clones between these groups, with an increasing recognition of human infection caused by livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA). Genomic studies have enabled us to model the epidemiology of MRSA along these lines. In this review, we discuss the clinical relevance of genomic studies, particularly whole-genome sequencing, in the investigation of outbreaks. We also discuss the blurring of each of the three epidemiological groups (HA-MRSA, CA-MRSA and LA-MRSA), demonstrating the limited relevance of this classification.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1093/GBE/EVR078
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-01-2015
DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS7108
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-12-2020
DOI: 10.1038/S41564-020-00838-Z
Abstract: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first diagnosed in Scotland on 1 March 2020. During the first month of the outbreak, 2,641 cases of COVID-19 led to 1,832 hospital admissions, 207 intensive care admissions and 126 deaths. We aimed to identify the source and number of introductions of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into Scotland using a combined phylogenetic and epidemiological approach. Sequencing of 1,314 SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes from available patient s les enabled us to estimate that SARS-CoV-2 was introduced to Scotland on at least 283 occasions during February and March 2020. Epidemiological analysis confirmed that early introductions of SARS-CoV-2 originated from mainland Europe (the majority from Italy and Spain). We identified subsequent early outbreaks in the community, within healthcare facilities and at an international conference. Community transmission occurred after 2 March, 3 weeks before control measures were introduced. Earlier travel restrictions or quarantine measures, both locally and internationally, would have reduced the number of COVID-19 cases in Scotland. The risk of multiple reintroduction events in future waves of infection remains high in the absence of population immunity.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-08-2014
DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS5544
Abstract: Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus , GBS) is a commensal of the digestive and genitourinary tracts of humans that emerged as the leading cause of bacterial neonatal infections in Europe and North America during the 1960s. Due to the lack of epidemiological and genomic data, the reasons for this emergence are unknown. Here we show by comparative genome analysis and phylogenetic reconstruction of 229 isolates that the rise of human GBS infections corresponds to the selection and worldwide dissemination of only a few clones. The parallel expansion of the clones is preceded by the insertion of integrative and conjugative elements conferring tetracycline resistance (TcR). Thus, we propose that the use of tetracycline from 1948 onwards led in humans to the complete replacement of a erse GBS population by only few TcR clones particularly well adapted to their host, causing the observed emergence of GBS diseases in neonates.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 02-12-2013
DOI: 10.1093/JAC/DKT452
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 18-09-2014
DOI: 10.1093/JAC/DKT354
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 06-03-2024
Abstract: Burkholderia pseudomallei is a recognized biothreat agent and the causative agent of melioidosis. This Gram-negative bacterium exists as a soil saprophyte in melioidosis-endemic areas of the world and accounts for 20% of community-acquired septicaemias in northeastern Thailand where half of those affected die. Here we report the complete genome of B. pseudomallei , which is composed of two chromosomes of 4.07 megabase pairs and 3.17 megabase pairs, showing significant functional partitioning of genes between them. The large chromosome encodes many of the core functions associated with central metabolism and cell growth, whereas the small chromosome carries more accessory functions associated with adaptation and survival in different niches. Genomic comparisons with closely and more distantly related bacteria revealed a greater level of gene order conservation and a greater number of orthologous genes on the large chromosome, suggesting that the two replicons have distinct evolutionary origins. A striking feature of the genome was the presence of 16 genomic islands (GIs) that together made up 6.1% of the genome. Further analysis revealed these islands to be variably present in a collection of invasive and soil isolates but entirely absent from the clonally related organism B. mallei . We propose that variable horizontal gene acquisition by B. pseudomallei is an important feature of recent genetic evolution and that this has resulted in a genetically erse pathogenic species.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-07-2020
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-020-68860-Z
Abstract: Body odour is a characteristic trait of Homo sapiens , however its role in human behaviour and evolution is poorly understood. Remarkably, body odour is linked to the presence of a few species of commensal microbes. Herein we discover a bacterial enzyme, limited to odour-forming staphylococci that are able to cleave odourless precursors of thioalcohols, the most pungent components of body odour. We demonstrated using phylogenetics, biochemistry and structural biology that this cysteine-thiol lyase (C-T lyase) is a PLP-dependent enzyme that moved horizontally into a unique monophyletic group of odour-forming staphylococci about 60 million years ago, and has subsequently tailored its enzymatic function to human-derived thioalcohol precursors. Significantly, transfer of this enzyme alone to non-odour producing staphylococci confers odour production, demonstrating that this C-T lyase is both necessary and sufficient for thioalcohol formation. The structure of the C-T lyase compared to that of other related enzymes reveals how the adaptation to thioalcohol precursors has evolved through changes in the binding site to create a constrained hydrophobic pocket that is selective for branched aliphatic thioalcohol ligands. The ancestral acquisition of this enzyme, and the subsequent evolution of the specificity for thioalcohol precursors implies that body odour production in humans is an ancient process.
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date: 03-2013
DOI: 10.1128/AAC.01882-12
Abstract: Recently, a novel variant of mecA known as mecC ( mecA LGA251 ) was identified in Staphylococcus aureus isolates from both humans and animals. In this study, we identified a Staphylococcus xylosus isolate that harbors a new allotype of the mecC gene, mecC1 . Whole-genome sequencing revealed that mecC1 forms part of a class E mec complex ( mecI-mecR1-mecC1-blaZ ) located at the orfX locus as part of a likely staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec element (SCC mec ) remnant, which also contains a number of other genes present on the type XI SCC mec .
Publisher: World Health Organization, Western Pacific Regional Office
Date: 31-03-2021
DOI: 10.5365/WPSAR.2020.11.1.005
Abstract: Antimicrobial-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major threat to public health and is of particular concern in the Western Pacific Region, where the incidence of gonorrhoea is high. The Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program (ARSP) has been capturing information on resistant gonorrhoea since 1996, but genomic epidemiology studies on this pathogen are lacking in the Philippines. We sequenced the whole genomes of 21 N. gonorrhoeae isolates collected in 2013–2014 by ARSP. The multilocus sequence type, multiantigen sequence type, presence of determinants of antimicrobial resistance and relatedness among the isolates were all derived from the sequence data. The concordance between phenotypic and genotypic resistance was also determined. Ten of 21 isolates were resistant to penicillin, ciprofloxacin and tetracycline, due mainly to the presence of the blaTEM gene, the S91F mutation in the gyrA gene and the tetM gene, respectively. None of the isolates was resistant to ceftriaxone or cefixime. The concordance between phenotypic and genotypic resistance was 92.38% overall for five antibiotics in four classes. Despite the small number of isolates studied, they were genetically erse, as shown by the sequence types, the N. gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing types and the tree. Comparison with global genomes placed the Philippine genomes within global lineage A and led to the identification of an international transmission route.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-11-2015
DOI: 10.1038/NG.3147
Abstract: A scarlet fever outbreak began in mainland China and Hong Kong in 2011 (refs. 1-6). Macrolide- and tetracycline-resistant Streptococcus pyogenes emm12 isolates represent the majority of clinical cases. Recently, we identified two mobile genetic elements that were closely associated with emm12 outbreak isolates: the integrative and conjugative element ICE-emm12, encoding genes for tetracycline and macrolide resistance, and prophage ΦHKU.vir, encoding the superantigens SSA and SpeC, as well as the DNase Spd1 (ref. 4). Here we sequenced the genomes of 141 emm12 isolates, including 132 isolated in Hong Kong between 2005 and 2011. We found that the introduction of several ICE-emm12 variants, ΦHKU.vir and a new prophage, ΦHKU.ssa, occurred in three distinct emm12 lineages late in the twentieth century. Acquisition of ssa and transposable elements encoding multidrug resistance genes triggered the expansion of scarlet fever-associated emm12 lineages in Hong Kong. The occurrence of multidrug-resistant ssa-harboring scarlet fever strains should prompt heightened surveillance within China and abroad for the dissemination of these mobile genetic elements.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-07-2018
Publisher: Microbiology Society
Date: 03-2021
Abstract: The equine disease strangles, which is characterized by the formation of abscesses in the lymph nodes of the head and neck, is one of the most frequently diagnosed infectious diseases of horses around the world. The causal agent, Streptococcus equi subspecies equi , establishes a persistent infection in approximately 10 % of animals that recover from the acute disease. Such ‘carrier’ animals appear healthy and are rarely identified during routine veterinary examinations pre-purchase or transit, but can transmit S. equi to naïve animals initiating new episodes of disease. Here, we report the analysis and visualization of phylogenomic and epidemiological data for 670 isolates of S. equi recovered from 19 different countries using a new core-genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) web bioresource. Genetic relationships among all 670 S. equi isolates were determined at high resolution, revealing national and international transmission events that drive this endemic disease in horse populations throughout the world. Our data argue for the recognition of the international importance of strangles by the Office International des Épizooties to highlight the health, welfare and economic cost of this disease. The Pathogenwatch cgMLST web bioresource described herein is available for tailored genomic analysis of populations of S. equi and its close relative S. equi subspecies zooepidemicus that are recovered from horses and other animals, including humans, throughout the world. This article contains data hosted by Microreact .
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Matthew Holden.