Emergence of host-adapted Salmonella Enteritidis through rapid evolution in an immunocompromised host

Klemm, E. J. et al. (2016) Emergence of host-adapted Salmonella Enteritidis through rapid evolution in an immunocompromised host. Nature Microbiology, 1, 15023. (doi: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2015.23) (PMID:27572160)

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Abstract

Host adaptation is a key factor contributing to the emergence of new bacterial, viral and parasitic pathogens. Many pathogens are considered promiscuous because they cause disease across a range of host species, while others are host-adapted, infecting particular hosts(1). Host adaptation can potentially progress to host restriction, where the pathogen is strictly limited to a single host species and is frequently associated with more severe symptoms. Host-adapted and host-restricted bacterial clades evolve from within a broader host-promiscuous species and sometimes target different niches within their specialist hosts, such as adapting from a mucosal to a systemic lifestyle. Genome degradation, marked by gene inactivation and deletion, is a key feature of host adaptation, although the triggers initiating genome degradation are not well understood. Here, we show that a chronic systemic non-typhoidal Salmonella infection in an immunocompromised human patient resulted in genome degradation targeting genes that are expendable for a systemic lifestyle. We present a genome-based investigation of a recurrent blood-borne Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) infection covering 15 years in an interleukin-12 β1 receptor-deficient individual that developed into an asymptomatic chronic infection. The infecting S. Enteritidis harboured a mutation in the mismatch repair gene mutS that accelerated the genomic mutation rate. Phylogenetic analysis and phenotyping of multiple patient isolates provides evidence for a remarkable level of within-host evolution that parallels genome changes present in successful host-restricted bacterial pathogens but never before observed on this timescale. Our analysis identifies common pathways of host adaptation and demonstrates the role that immunocompromised individuals can play in this process.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Otto, Professor Thomas
Authors: Klemm, E. J., Gkrania-Klotsas, E., Hadfield, J., Forbester, J. L., Harris, S. R., Hale, C., Heath, J. N., Wileman, T., Clare, S., Kane, L., Goulding, D., Otto, T. D., Kay, S., Doffinger, R., Cooke, F. J., Carmichael, A., Lever, A. M. L., Parkhill, J., MacLennan, C. A., Kumararatne, D., Dougan, G., and Kingsley, R. A.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
Journal Name:Nature Microbiology
Publisher:Nature Publishing Group
ISSN:2058-5276

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