Bouchez, V. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2022

Genomic library of Bordetella

BackgroundThe re-emergence of whooping cough and geographic disparities in vaccine escape or antimicrobial resistance dynamics, underline the importance of a unified definition of Bordetella pertussis strains. Understanding of the evolutionary adaptations of Bordetella pathogens to humans and animals requires comparative studies with environmental bordetellae. MethodsWe have set-up a unified library of Bordetella genomes by merging previously existing Oxford and Pasteur databases, importing genomes from public repositories, and developing harmonized genotyping schemes. We developed a genus-wide cgMLST genotyping scheme and incorporated a previous B. pertussis cgMLST scheme. Specific schemes were developed to define antigenic, virulence and macrolide resistance profiles. Genomic sequencing of 83 French B. bronchiseptica isolates and of B. tumulicola, B. muralis and B. tumbae type strains was performed. ResultsThe public library currently includes 2,581 Bordetella isolates and their provenance data, and 2,084 genomes. The "classical Bordetella" (B. bronchiseptica, B. parapertussis and B. pertussis), which form a single genomic species (B. bronchiseptica genomic species, BbGS), were overrepresented (n=2,382). The phylogenetic analysis of Bordetella genomes associated the three novel species B. tumulicola, B. muralis and B. tumbae in a clade with B. petrii and revealed 18 yet undescribed species. A sister lineage of the classical bordetellae, provisionally named Bbs lineage II, was uncovered and may represent a novel species (average nucleotide identity with BbGS strains: [~]95%). It comprised strain HT200 from India, two strains of genogroup 6 from the USA and six clinical isolates from France; this lineage lacked ptxP and its fim2 gene was divergent. Within B. pertussis, vaccine antigen sequence types marked important phylogenetic subdivisions, and macrolide resistance markers (23S_rRNA allele 13 and fhaB3) confirmed the current restriction of this phenotype in China with few exceptions. ConclusionsThe genomic platform provides an expandable resource for unified genotyping of Bordetella strains and will facilitate collective evolutionary and epidemiological understanding of the re-emergence of whooping cough and other Bordetella infections. Data summaryBordetella genomes list and accession numbers: Supplementary Table S4 Bordetella genus phylogeny dataset (92 isolates): https://bigsdb.pasteur.fr/cgi-bin/bigsdb/bigsdb.pl?db=pubmlst_bordetella_isolates&page=query&project_list=23&submit=1 B. bronchiseptica phylogeny dataset (213 isolates): https://bigsdb.pasteur.fr/cgi-bin/bigsdb/bigsdb.pl?db=pubmlst_bordetella_isolates&page=query&project_list=24&submit=1 B. pertussis phylogeny (124 isolates): https://bigsdb.pasteur.fr/cgi-bin/bigsdb/bigsdb.pl?db=pubmlst_bordetella_isolates&page=query&project_list=25&submit=1 iTOL interactive trees: https://itol.embl.de/shared/1l7Fw0AvKOoCF

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2021

Spatial dynamics and vaccine-induced fitness changes of Bordetella pertussis

Competitive interactions between pathogen strains drive infection risk. Vaccines are thought to perturb strain diversity through shifts in immune pressures, however, this has rarely been measured due to inadequate data and analytical tools. Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis), responsible for 160,000 deaths annually1, provides a rare natural experiment as many countries have switched from whole cell vaccines to acellular vaccines, which have very different immunogenic properties2,3. Here we use 3,344 sequences from 23 countries and build phylogenetic models to reveal that B. pertussis has substantial diversity within communities, with the relative fitness of local genotypes changing in response to switches in vaccine policy. We demonstrate that the number of transmission chains circulating within subnational regions is strongly associated with host population size. It takes 5-10 years for individual lineages to be homogeneously distributed throughout Europe or the United States. Increased fitness of pertactin-deficient strains following implementation of acellular vaccines, but reduced fitness otherwise, can explain long-term genotype dynamics. These findings highlight the role of national vaccine policies in shifting local diversity of a pathogen that still poses a large burden on global public health.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2019

Description of Corynebacterium rouxii sp. nov., a novel member of the diphtheriae species complex

A group of six clinical isolates previously identified as Corynebacterium diphtheriae biovar Belfanti, isolated from human cutaneous or peritoneum infections and from one dog, were characterized by genomic sequencing, biochemical analysis and mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The six isolates were negative for the diphtheria toxin gene. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the six isolates (including FRC0190T) are clearly demarcated from C. diphtheriae, C. belfantii, C. ulcerans and C. pseudotuberculosis. The average nucleotide identity of FRC0190T with C. diphtheriae NCTC 11397T was 92.6%, and was 91.8% with C. belfantii FRC0043T. C. diphtheriae subsp. lausannense strain CHUV2995T appeared to be a later heterotypic synonym of C. belfantii (ANI, 99.3%). Phenotyping data revealed an atypical negative or heterogeneous intermediate maltose fermentation reaction for the six isolates. MALDI-TOF MS differentiated the new group from the other Corynebacterium taxa by the presence of specific spectral peaks. rpoB sequences showed identity to atypical, maltose-negative C. diphtheriae biovar Belfanti isolates previously described from two cats in the USA. We propose the name Corynebacterium rouxii sp. nov. for the novel group, with FRC0190T (= CIP 111752T = DSM 110354T) as type strain.

microbiology↗