Whole-Genome SNP Analysis Identifies Putative Mycobacterium bovis Transmission Clusters in Livestock and Wildlife in Catalonia, Spain

Microorganisms

Alberto Allepuz¹  Giovanna Ciaravino¹  Bernat Pérez de Val²  Tyler C. Thacker³  Suelee Robbe-Austerman³  Tod Stuber³  Claudia Perea³ 

[1] Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain;IRTA, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA, IRTA-UAB), 08197 Bellaterra, Spain;National Veterinary Services Laboratories, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Ames, IA 50010, USA;

关键词: whole-genome sequencing;    SNP;    Mycobacterium bovis;    bovine tuberculosis;    Catalonia;    northeastern Spain;   

DOI  :  10.3390/microorganisms9081629

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The high-resolution WGS analyses of MTBC strains have provided useful insight for determining sources of infection for animal tuberculosis. In Spain, tuberculosis in livestock is caused by Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium caprae, where wildlife reservoirs play an important role. We analyzed a set of 125 M. bovis isolates obtained from livestock and wildlife from Catalonia to investigate strain diversity and identify possible sources and/or causes of infection. Whole-genome SNP profiles were used for phylogenetic reconstruction and pairwise SNP distance analysis. Additionally, SNPs were investigated to identify virulence and antimicrobial resistance factors to investigate clade-specific associations. Putative transmission clusters (≤12 SNPs) were identified, and associated epidemiological metadata were used to determine possible explanatory factors for transmission. M. bovis distribution was heterogeneous, with 7 major clades and 21 putative transmission clusters. In order of importance, the explanatory factors associated were proximity and neighborhood, residual infection, livestock-wildlife interaction, shared pasture, and movement. Genes related to lipid transport and metabolism showed the highest number of SNPs. All isolates were pyrazinamide resistant, and five were additionally resistant to isoniazid, but no clade-specific associations could be determined. Our findings highlight the importance of high-resolution molecular surveillance to monitor bovine tuberculosis dynamics in a low-prevalence setting.

【 授权许可】

Unknown