Project description:Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ST313 is a relatively newly emerged sequence type that is causing a devastating epidemic of bloodstream infections across sub-Saharan Africa. Analysis of hundreds of Salmonella genomes has revealed that ST313 is closely-related to the ST19 group of S. Typhimurium that cause gastroenteritis across the world. The core genomes of ST313 and ST19 vary by just 1000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We hypothesised that the phenotypic differences that distinguish African Salmonella from ST19 are caused by certain SNPs that directly modulate the transcription of virulence genes. Here we identified 3,597 transcriptional start sites (TSS) of the ST313 strain D23580, and searched for a gene expression signature linked to pathogenesis of Salmonella. We identified a SNP in the promoter of the pgtE gene that caused high expression of the PgtE virulence factor in African S. Typhimurium, increased the degradation of the factor B component of human complement, contributed to serum resistance and modulated virulence in the chicken infection model. We propose that high levels of expression PgtE of by African S. Typhimurium ST313 promotes bacterial survival and bacterial dissemination during human infection. Our finding of a functional role for an extra-genic SNP shows that approaches used to deduce the evolution of virulence in bacterial pathogens should include a focus on non-coding regions of the genome.
2017-12-15 | GSE108104 | GEO
Project description:Population-based surveillance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa causing bloodstream infections
| PRJNA988909 | ENA
Project description:Gut residence of bloodstream infection pathogens in the NICU
Project description:Opportunistic oral infections are ultimately presented in a vast majority of HIV-infected patients, often causing debilitating lesions that also contribute to deterioration in nutritional health. Although appreciation for the role that the microbiota is likely to play in the initiation and/or enhancement of oral infections has grown considerably in recent years, little is known about the impact of HIV infection on host-microbe interactions within the oral cavity. In the current study, we characterize modulations in the bacterial composition of the lingual microbiome in patients with treated and untreated HIV infection. Bacterial species profiles were elucidated by microarray assay and compared between untreated HIV infected patients, HIV infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy, and healthy HIV negative controls. The relationship between clinical parameters (viral burden and CD4+ T cell depletion) and the loss or gain of bacterial species was evaluated in each HIV patient group. Characterization of modulations in the dorsal tongue (lingual) microbiota that are associated with chronic HIV infection.
Project description:The mammalian gastrointestinal tract and the bloodstream are highly disparate biological niches, and yet certain commensal-pathogenic microorganisms are able to thrive in both environments. Here, we report the evolution of a unique transcription circuit in the yeast, Candida albicans, which determines its fitness in both host niches. Our comprehensive analysis of the DNA-binding proteins that regulate iron uptake by this organism suggests the evolutionary intercalation of a transcriptional activator called Sef1 between two broadly conserved transcriptional repressors, Sfu1 and Hap43. The Sef1 activator of iron uptake genes promotes virulence in a mouse model of bloodstream infection, whereas the Sfu1 repressor is dispensable for virulence but promotes gastrointestinal commensalism. We propose that the ability to alternate between genetic programs conferring resistance to iron depletion in the bloodstream versus iron toxicity in the gut may be a fundamental attribute of gastrointestinal commensal-pathogens.