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Agricultural intensification and the evolution of host specialism in the enteric pathogen Campylobacter jejuni

Mourkas, E., Taylor, A. J., Méric, G., Bayliss, S. C., Pascoe, B., Mageiros, L., Calland, J. K., Hitchings, M. D., Ridley, A., Vidal, A., Forbes, K. J., Strachan, N. J. C., Parker, C. T., Parkhill, J., Jolley, K. A., Cody, A. J., Maiden, M. C. J., Kelly, D. J. and Sheppard, S. K. (2020) Agricultural intensification and the evolution of host specialism in the enteric pathogen Campylobacter jejuni. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117 (20). pp. 11018-11028. ISSN 1091-6490

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To link to this item DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1917168117

Abstract/Summary

Modern agriculture has dramatically changed the distribution of animal species on Earth. Changes to host ecology have a major impact on the microbiota, potentially increasing the risk of zoonotic pathogens being transmitted to humans, but the impact of intensive livestock production on host-associated bacteria has rarely been studied. Here, we use large isolate collections and comparative genomics techniques, linked to phenotype studies, to understand the timescale and genomic adaptations associated with the proliferation of the most common food-born bacterial pathogen (Campylobacter jejuni) in the most prolific agricultural mammal (cattle). Our findings reveal the emergence of cattle specialist C. jejuni lineages from a background of host generalist strains that coincided with the dramatic rise in cattle numbers in the 20th century. Cattle adaptation was associated with horizontal gene transfer and significant gene gain and loss. This may be related to differences in host diet, anatomy, and physiology, leading to the proliferation of globally disseminated cattle specialists of major public health importance. This work highlights how genomic plasticity can allow important zoonotic pathogens to exploit altered niches in the face of anthropogenic change and provides information for mitigating some of the risks posed by modern agricultural systems.

Item Type:Article
Refereed:Yes
Divisions:No Reading authors. Back catalogue items
ID Code:110823
Publisher:National Academy of Sciences

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