- Volume 1, Issue 6, 2015
Volume 1, Issue 6, 2015
- Commentary
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70th Anniversary Collection for the Microbiology Society: Microbial Genomics
More LessIn the context of the Microbiology Society's 70th anniversary celebration, Microbial Genomics (MGen) is the new baby of the Society's publishing family. Born on 15 July 2015, it is still in its infancy but already showing promising signs, and we have great hopes and expectations for the future. The journal captures a new and expanding area of research, one which is already having a major impact on research in microbiology, and has and continues to accelerate discoveries in the field.
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- Research Paper
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- Microbial evolution and epidemiology
- Communicable disease genomics
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Introduction and establishment of fluoroquinolone-resistant Shigella sonnei into Bhutan
Hao Chung The, Maia A. Rabaa, Duy Pham Thanh, Sirigade Ruekit, Sonam Wangchuk, Tshering Dorji, Kinzang Pem Tshering, To Nguyen Thi Nguyen, Phat Voong Vinh, Tuyen Ha Thanh, Chau Nguyen Ngoc Minh, Paul Turner, Poda Sar, Guy Thwaites, Kathryn E. Holt, Nicholas R. Thomson, Ladaporn Bodhidatta, Carl Jeffries Mason and Stephen BakerShigella sonnei is a major contributor to the global burden of diarrhoeal disease, generally associated with dysenteric diarrhoea in developed countries but also emerging in developing countries. The reason for the recent success of S. sonnei is unknown, but is likely catalysed by its ability to acquire resistance against multiple antimicrobials. Between 2011 and 2013, S. sonnei exhibiting resistance to fluoroquinolones, the first-line treatment recommended for shigellosis, emerged in Bhutan. Aiming to reconstruct the introduction and establishment of fluoroquinolone-resistant S. sonnei populations in Bhutan, we performed whole-genome sequencing on 71 S. sonnei samples isolated in Bhutan between 2011 and 2013.We found that these strains represented an expansion of a clade within the previously described lineage III, found specifically in Central Asia. Temporal phylogenetic reconstruction demonstrated that all of the sequenced Bhutanese S. sonnei diverged from a single ancestor that was introduced into Bhutan around 2006. Our data additionally predicted that fluoroquinolone resistance, conferred by mutations in gyrA and parC, arose prior to the introduction of the founder strain into Bhutan. Once established in Bhutan, these S. sonnei had access to a broad gene pool, as indicated by the acquisition of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-encoding plasmids and genes encoding type IV pili. The data presented here outline a model for the introduction and maintenance of fluoroquinolone-resistant S. sonnei in a new setting. Given the current circulation of fluoroquinolone-resistant S. sonnei in Asia, we speculate that this pattern of introduction is being recapitulated across the region and beyond.
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