Bacterial genomics reveal the complex epidemiology of an emerging pathogen in Arctic and boreal ungulates

Forde, T. L. et al. (2016) Bacterial genomics reveal the complex epidemiology of an emerging pathogen in Arctic and boreal ungulates. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7, 1759. (doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01759)

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Abstract

Northern ecosystems are currently experiencing unprecedented ecological change, largely driven by a rapidly changing climate. Pathogen range expansion, and emergence and altered patterns of infectious disease, are increasingly reported in wildlife at high latitudes. Understanding the causes and consequences of shifting pathogen diversity and host-pathogen interactions in these ecosystems is important for wildlife conservation, and for indigenous populations that depend on wildlife. Among the key questions are whether disease events are associated with endemic or recently introduced pathogens, and whether emerging strains are spreading throughout the region. In this study, we used a phylogenomic approach to address these questions of pathogen endemicity and spread for Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, an opportunistic multi-host bacterial pathogen associated with recent mortalities in arctic and boreal ungulate populations in North America. We isolated E. rhusiopathiae from carcasses associated with large-scale die-offs of muskoxen in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and from contemporaneous mortality events and/or population declines among muskoxen in northwestern Alaska and caribou and moose in western Canada. Bacterial genomic diversity differed markedly among these locations; minimal divergence was present among isolates from muskoxen in the Canadian Arctic, while in caribou and moose populations, strains from highly divergent clades were isolated from the same location, or even from within a single carcass. These results indicate that mortalities among northern ungulates are not associated with a single emerging strain of E. rhusiopathiae, and that alternate hypotheses need to be explored. Our study illustrates the value and limitations of bacterial genomic data for discriminating between ecological hypotheses of disease emergence, and highlights the importance of studying emerging pathogens within the broader context of environmental and host factors.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Zadoks, Professor Ruth and Biek, Professor Roman and Forde, Dr Taya
Authors: Forde, T. L., Orsel, K., Zadoks, R. N., Biek, R., Adams, L. G., Checkley, S. L., Davison, T., De Buck, J., Dumon, M., Elkin, B. T., Finnegan, L., Macbeth, B. J., Nelson, C., Niptanatiak, A., Sather, S., Schwantje, H. M., van der Meer, F., and Kutz, S. J.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Journal Name:Frontiers in Microbiology
Publisher:Frontiers Media
ISSN:1664-302X
ISSN (Online):1664-302X
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2016 Forde, Orsel, Zadoks, Biek, Adams, Checkley, Davison, De Buck, Dumond, Elkin, Finnegan, Macbeth, Nelson, Niptanatiak, Sather, Schwantje, van der Meer and Kutz.
First Published:First published in Frontiers in Microbiology 7:1759
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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