Evolutionary dynamics of Clostridium difficile over short and long time scales.
He, Miao;
Sebaihia, Mohammed;
Lawley, Trevor D;
Stabler, Richard A;
Dawson, Lisa F;
Martin, Melissa J;
Holt, Kathryn E;
Seth-Smith, Helena MB;
Quail, Michael A;
Rance, Richard;
+15 more...Brooks, Karen;
Churcher, Carol;
Harris, David;
Bentley, Stephen D;
Burrows, Christine;
Clark, Louise;
Corton, Craig;
Murray, Vicky;
Rose, Graham;
Thurston, Scott;
van Tonder, Andries;
Walker, Danielle;
Wren, Brendan W;
Dougan, Gordon;
Parkhill, Julian;
(2010)
Evolutionary dynamics of Clostridium difficile over short and long time scales.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107 (16).
pp. 7527-7532.
ISSN 0027-8424
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0914322107
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Clostridium difficile has rapidly emerged as the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrheal disease, with the transcontinental spread of various PCR ribotypes, including 001, 017, 027 and 078. However, the genetic basis for the emergence of C. difficile as a human pathogen is unclear. Whole genome sequencing was used to analyze genetic variation and virulence of a diverse collection of thirty C. difficile isolates, to determine both macro and microevolution of the species. Horizontal gene transfer and large-scale recombination of core genes has shaped the C. difficile genome over both short and long time scales. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrates C. difficile is a genetically diverse species, which has evolved within the last 1.1-85 million years. By contrast, the disease-causing isolates have arisen from multiple lineages, suggesting that virulence evolved independently in the highly epidemic lineages.
