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dc.contributor.authorSonthayanon, Piengchan
dc.contributor.authorPeacock, Sharon J.
dc.contributor.authorChierakul, Wirongrong
dc.contributor.authorWuthiekanun, Vanaporn
dc.contributor.authorBlacksell, Stuart D.
dc.contributor.authorHolden, Mathew T. G.
dc.contributor.authorBentley, Stephen D.
dc.contributor.authorFeil, Edward J.
dc.contributor.authorDay, Nicholas P. J.
dc.contributor.authorHolden, Matthew
dc.date.accessioned2014-04-25T16:01:08Z
dc.date.available2014-04-25T16:01:08Z
dc.date.issued2010-07
dc.identifier91764610
dc.identifier3639a2f8-0c38-458d-9e0a-ef9898e1e43d
dc.identifier000280412300021
dc.identifier77957905069
dc.identifier.citationSonthayanon , P , Peacock , S J , Chierakul , W , Wuthiekanun , V , Blacksell , S D , Holden , M T G , Bentley , S D , Feil , E J , Day , N P J & Holden , M 2010 , ' High Rates of Homologous Recombination in the Mite Endosymbiont and Opportunistic Human Pathogen Orientia tsutsugamushi ' , PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases , vol. 4 , no. 7 , 752 . https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000752en
dc.identifier.issn1935-2727
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-4958-2166/work/60196410
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/4618
dc.descriptionThe study was funded by the Wellcome Trust. PS was supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust (073135) and British Infection Society.en
dc.description.abstractOrientia tsutsugamushi is an intracellular alpha-proteobacterium which resides in trombiculid mites, and is the causative agent of scrub typhus in East Asia. The genome sequence of this species has revealed an unprecedented number of repeat sequences, most notably of the genes encoding the conjugative properties of a type IV secretion system (T4SS). Although this observation is consistent with frequent intragenomic recombination, the extent of homologous recombination (gene conversion) in this species is unknown. To address this question, and to provide a protocol for the epidemiological surveillance of this important pathogen, we have developed a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme based on 7 housekeeping genes (gpsA, mdh, nrdB, nuoF, ppdK, sucD, sucB). We applied this scheme to the two published genomes, and to DNA extracted from blood taken from 84 Thai scrub typhus patients, from 20 cultured Thai patient isolates, 1 Australian patient sample, and from 3 cultured type strains. These data demonstrated that the O. tsutsugamushi population was both highly diverse [Simpson's index (95% CI) = 0.95 (0.92-0.98)], and highly recombinogenic. These results are surprising given the intracellular life-style of this species, but are broadly consistent with results obtained for Wolbachia, which is an alpha-proteobacterial reproductive parasite of arthropods. We also compared the MLST data with ompA sequence data and noted low levels of consistency and much higher discrimination by MLST. Finally, twenty-five percent of patients in this study were simultaneously infected with multiple sequence types, suggesting multiple infection caused by either multiple mite bites, or multiple strains co-existing within individual mites.
dc.format.extent10
dc.format.extent619031
dc.language.isoeng
dc.relation.ispartofPLoS Neglected Tropical Diseasesen
dc.subjectScrub typhusen
dc.subjectRelative contributionsen
dc.subjectTyping dataen
dc.subjectMutationen
dc.subjectMicroorganismsen
dc.subjectRickettsiaen
dc.subjectDivergenceen
dc.subjectDiversityen
dc.subjectThailanden
dc.subjectRevealsen
dc.subjectQH301 Biologyen
dc.subject.lccQH301en
dc.titleHigh Rates of Homologous Recombination in the Mite Endosymbiont and Opportunistic Human Pathogen Orientia tsutsugamushien
dc.typeJournal articleen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. School of Medicineen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Infection Groupen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Biomedical Sciences Research Complexen
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pntd.0000752
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden


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